Mind, on the rocks?!

Building on an article published by my good friend Sally Acton from Torque Solutions, we had a chat and decided to collaborate and write a small series of articles, about 5 or so,  building on her original post “Employee Experience: Wants + Empathy = Clarity”. If you haven’t read the article please do so,  we reference it throughout the series and having a background will be helpful.  What follows is the first of what hopefully will be many more collaborative writings to take place, enjoy and get in touch if you have questions. @wernerSmit or @SallyActon

Building to Successful convergence: Article 1 – The Convergence Factors Four

The original article was easy to read and understand but deep in its implications.  In these times of rapid change and fear, knowing what’s going on is a vital part of survival. Especially for your mental health and also for your contributions to the business you help build and the homes you are in.  Whether you are an employee or employer, everyone is suffering from fear, uncertainty and doubt, or as many of us know it FUD, it makes the world go round.  

In an effort to reduce “the FUD” the concept of sharing openly, for example “where the business is” and asking for insights from those around us was the basic premise of the original article,  it specifically focused on financial statements but this could be true for anything.

The real question for us started not with what you share, but how you reach a point where sharing is both able to happen and has an impact.  

Based on this question we brainstormed some ideas and found an interesting correlation between elements within businesses and the humans that occupy spaces in these businesses. We found 2 specific elements that drive convergence,  Trust and Actions. In an effort to start modeling this concept into something of tangible value we started categorizing these 2 elements into 4 simple groups, the Convergence Factors Four. Catchy name but really simple to remember

1. Trust Enablers – Things that make trust grow.
2. Trust Eroders – Things that make trust wither.
3. Barriers to Convergence – Things that top us from coming together.
4. and Convergence Enablers – Things that help us come together.

Trust is an emotion, a state of mind that one achieves through either faith or belief, the difference being trusting with or without proof.  Taking the trust element and scratching around it we found that actions most often, as the saying goes, speak louder than words. We also started looking at the effects trust has on the quality of a convergence.  Interestingly from our combined experience we have found that a lack of trust does not foster a strength in bravery in fact it does the opposite. You basically end up with sharing sessions, moments of convergence, where no one wants to speak, or when they do it’s very fluffy and leans towards whatever the employer said.  

This leads to a finite understanding that actions drive the four Converges Factor.  Your actions can either build or erode trust. Your actions can either enable convergence or be a barrier thereto, and before you think this is reading very much in the direction of the employer, no it goes both ways.  Many times simple things like expressing a doubt in the businesses ability to communicate truthfully among peers has a massive effect on group confidence. This translates directly into a barrier to convergence and an erosion of trust.

The question is how do we start taking tangible actions that will translate into positive convergence?  

The basis of all high-performing businesses and teams are built around the concept of psychological safety – the human factor once again at the root of positive convergence. 

We have always been impressed with the approach of Paul Santagata, Head of Industry at Google, – it is called “Just Like Me” and asks every person to always run through the following statements even during the most contentious negotiations, basically re-affirming the person’s humanity:

• This person has beliefs, perspectives, and opinions, just like me.
• This person has hopes, anxieties, and vulnerabilities, just like me.
• This person has friends, family, and perhaps children who love them, just like me.
• This person wants to feel respected, appreciated, and competent, just like me.
• This person wishes for peace, joy, and happiness, just like me.

In the following articles we will be looking closer into each of the four Convergence Factors and sharing our thoughts as to the drivers of those factors and what businesses can do to help combat FUD and Build better convergence.

See you in a week or two,  these things don’t write themselves and we are still trying to remain active in a crisis situation.

Also, be kind to yourself and remember to reach out to your friends, colleagues and loved ones even if it’s just an Emoji and a Hi. Isolation takes its toll and we all need to be reminded that there are people out there who care for us!

This article is a collaboration between Sally Acton and Werner Smit, please feel free to contact either of us and share as much as you like.