My original idea for this week was to follow on from the Sustaining Executive Performance program content I started sharing last week with a look at the power of focus.
And then something happened one morning a few days ago that I felt I had to share.
I’ll follow on with program content and upload some more videos to my new (and still very raw) YouTube channel next week but on this edition I hope you find the personal story interesting and applicable to some of your own experiences.
Schools finish today in Catalonia for the Easter Holidays. If you’re heading off on Spring Break soon, have a wonderful time. Hope to see you next week.
Steven
The Man on the Mountain
Most days I get to take my son to school. Afterwards, I walk or run with my dog on the mountain path overlooking Barcelona. It’s a treasured part of my day I don’t take for granted.
You know how it goes with your daily routine, we often come across the same people. Some we know and talk to, some we don’t.
Around 6 months ago I started to notice one particular man walking on the mountain path.
He is older than me, I’m pretty sure he’s Chinese. He often does some light Tai Chi. And lots of walking.
He has good energy. And I started to give him a wave or nod of acknowledgment.
Everytime I’m on the mountain I see him. Rain or shine. From my car or walking or running past him.
Everytime I see him I wave.
He never waves back.
For 6 months (at least) nothing came back.
Until today.
He waved back.
A big happy, smiley wave!
It took me completely by surprise and it was beautiful.
Some things take time. Trust takes time. What might seem front and centre for us might just be on the edge of awareness for someone else.
And we don’t know what someone else is dealing with.
As well as trust and time I’ve been thinking about reciprocity.
Should we stop with good actions or intentions just because they’re not returned?
I’ve been guilty of that myself in the past. But that wave 👋 taught me a valuable lesson.
This experience got me thinking on the trust equation which we covered in this newsletter last year. My action (some may say stubbornness!) of continuing to wave in spite of not receiving a wave back may be viewed as me lowering my self-orientation, which according to the equation is the real key in improving trustworthiness.
I’m curious as to how teams, and especially high-performing teams have increased credibility, reliability and intimacy, and lowered self-orientation. I just posted these questions on LinkedIn and you can join the conversation by clicking here (or on the image above). Or just hit reply on this email if you have any experiences to share.
Boost Your Social Wellbeing
And a final reflection for this week based on my returned wave from the man on the mountain.
Studies show that our social wellbeing doesn’t just depend on contact with close friends and family, but also the fleeting interactions with people in our daily lives.
Maybe we don’t always know their name but the hello, goodbye, wave and other pleasantries to the lady at the school gates, the doorman, the man in the coffee shop—all make a difference to our wellbeing, as well as theirs. These interactions keep a community strong.
Trust and Reciprocity
My original idea for this week was to follow on from the Sustaining Executive Performance program content I started sharing last week with a look at the power of focus.
And then something happened one morning a few days ago that I felt I had to share.
I’ll follow on with program content and upload some more videos to my new (and still very raw) YouTube channel next week but on this edition I hope you find the personal story interesting and applicable to some of your own experiences.
Schools finish today in Catalonia for the Easter Holidays. If you’re heading off on Spring Break soon, have a wonderful time. Hope to see you next week.
Steven
The Man on the Mountain
Most days I get to take my son to school. Afterwards, I walk or run with my dog on the mountain path overlooking Barcelona. It’s a treasured part of my day I don’t take for granted.
You know how it goes with your daily routine, we often come across the same people. Some we know and talk to, some we don’t.
Around 6 months ago I started to notice one particular man walking on the mountain path.
He is older than me, I’m pretty sure he’s Chinese. He often does some light Tai Chi. And lots of walking.
He has good energy. And I started to give him a wave or nod of acknowledgment.
Everytime I’m on the mountain I see him. Rain or shine. From my car or walking or running past him.
Everytime I see him I wave.
He never waves back.
For 6 months (at least) nothing came back.
Until today.
He waved back.
A big happy, smiley wave!
It took me completely by surprise and it was beautiful.
Some things take time. Trust takes time. What might seem front and centre for us might just be on the edge of awareness for someone else.
And we don’t know what someone else is dealing with.
As well as trust and time I’ve been thinking about reciprocity.
Should we stop with good actions or intentions just because they’re not returned?
I’ve been guilty of that myself in the past. But that wave 👋 taught me a valuable lesson.
This experience got me thinking on the trust equation which we covered in this newsletter last year. My action (some may say stubbornness!) of continuing to wave in spite of not receiving a wave back may be viewed as me lowering my self-orientation, which according to the equation is the real key in improving trustworthiness.
I’m curious as to how teams, and especially high-performing teams have increased credibility, reliability and intimacy, and lowered self-orientation. I just posted these questions on LinkedIn and you can join the conversation by clicking here (or on the image above). Or just hit reply on this email if you have any experiences to share.
Boost Your Social Wellbeing
And a final reflection for this week based on my returned wave from the man on the mountain.
Studies show that our social wellbeing doesn’t just depend on contact with close friends and family, but also the fleeting interactions with people in our daily lives.
Maybe we don’t always know their name but the hello, goodbye, wave and other pleasantries to the lady at the school gates, the doorman, the man in the coffee shop—all make a difference to our wellbeing, as well as theirs. These interactions keep a community strong.
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