The New York Times has a daily email briefing called The Morning that is pretty darn good. I don’t always agree with the editorializing, but it explains the reasoning behind why certain stories are in the news or on the Times’s radar.
Here is one story I suspect we will all agree on: “The power of humility.” Using the N.F.L. draft, the writer paints a picture of how often we tell ourselves stories to make sense of a very messy world. And how often we get that story wrong.
The best leaders I know don’t settle for a story they tell themselves.
The best leaders are learners.
They spend their time figuring out what they need to know.
Maybe it is their industry or profession.
Maybe it is their market or clients.
Maybe it is their people–or themselves.
Hip Socket is built on the tagline, “Wrestle and grow.” Much of that wrestling happens in dialogue, where we are open to learning from others … even about stories we have told ourselves about a very messy situation.
This kind of dialogue might involve an uncomfortable conversation with a colleague about something they have done to let you down. Next time it happens, see if you can work in a line like this:
“That’s my version of what happened. There’s probably stuff I don’t know. Tell me your story.”
If this is news to you, prepare to wave a magic wand. Lines like this, seeking to learn, have just invited your “adversary” to let their guard down. Suddenly this is a conversation between allies. Now you can get to work.
If you are intrigued, I encourage you to start listening to or watching our latest podcast series on the book “Crucial Conversations.” We are covering many practical items like this as we go.