Too often optics drive the narrative. We’re seeing this daily from global leadership and in the micro in our own organisations and teams. Performance trumping substance, truth and trust.
And trust is surely the thing here. Much of social media is eroding the ability to discern truth from fake content. The growing capability of AI will only make the distinction more difficult.
In organisational life often those most comfortable in the limelight advance. The better they present the more highly they’re regarded, sometimes without regard for the veracity of their content.
We can choose to resist lounging in this ‘shallow end’ and start looking for and cultivating the ‘deep’.
That deep starts with self. As leaders expanding our consciousness, setting our mind and endeavours to creating a better world for all, unattached to self-interest, conveys magnetic power.
We might consider our own relationship with trust and the ‘tools’ needed for building it. Examining our own ethics and morals is invaluable – are these clear to us and to others in all circumstances through our discernibly principled behaviour?
How often do we draw on the wisdom of our heart, or connect with our higher intuition, when we are making choices, rather than just relying on the data? In fact, not connecting with these resources can tell us much about our self-trust. When we do use them, our decisions are of a higher order and quality that others can trust.
Are we comfortable with being vulnerable with others – sharing our concerns and our not knowing/not having an answer for every situation? Opening this door helps others connect with who we are not just the professional façade – our humanness becomes 3-dimensional.
How about candour? Some are happy giving and receiving feedback while others find it challenging. Candour with empathy and compassion, where the intent is to help rather than wound, opens both giver and receiver to a new level of understanding and right relationship where trust flourishes.
All these resources, and more, are available to all of us if we make a conscious choice to lean into them.
How are you doing in the ‘deep’?