Some weeks you just do the work. No need to get inspired. I think this week, and maybe the previous one, I’ve just kept going in the direction I’ve set. I haven’t read much, listened much, except for the people I talk to. That has been enough.
Something I noticed myself saying a lot while doing a better conversations workshop this week was “if it comes from a place of kindness, it’ll work out.” You can never control the other person’s feelings and how they react. You can try — but it costs you, as it means agreeing to things you don’t want, or accepting behaviour that isn’t okay.
The other person might get offended. They might need time. But if it came from kindness, you’ve been honest — with them and with yourself. That matters more than whether they liked hearing it.
In the workshop, this came up in a variety of topics — starting a Teams meeting, ending the conversation, getting a meeting back on track. But it works just as well elsewhere — when you don’ t understand something or someone, asking solves it. When you’ re tired of talking, saying it honestly (and first of all noticing it), leaves both participants happier, even though expressing that might seem awkward at first.
I haven’t come up with a situation yet where kind and honest wouldn’t work. Can you?