A coffee well had
How much would you guess an espresso is worth? What about four espressos?
A lot more than we’d think.
I met my friend for a coffee catch up recently. We got to talking about her new role and how the transition is going. She was happy despite feeling something was off with her new team. As she described it, they appeared to be withdrawn. Distant.
After a few more sips of our coffees, I asked her – what may have happened with the team prior to her arrival?
I share this story because when we think of employee engagement, we tend to think that a calculated action plan alone does the trick to bring about improvements.
Recognition programs? Good.
Training and development? Also good.
Working in communications for some time now, I’ve observed the magic of simple, meaningful and forward-looking conversations.
Back to the coffee example – I could sense my friend was preoccupied. And it didn’t take long for her to take a deep breath and ask (somewhat rhetorically), "what do I do now"?
Two words.
Appreciative inquiry (AI).
In the world of positive psychology (otherwise most commonly referred to as positive workplace), if we can get people thinking about and talking about the good stuff, then their behaviours – and ultimately their attitudes – change too.
What my friend has on her hands is a brilliant opportunity to reinspire her team. Turns out, her predecessor didn’t quite prioritize team communications, appreciation and ongoing discussions to bring clarity around plans and progress.
Can she turn sentiment around?
Well, you’re reading my blog so the answer is #yesshecan.
AI does two things: one, it promotes the natural usage of positive emotions which produces immediate positive psychophysiological changes in people. You know – lowered heart rates, favourable changes in heart rate variability and so forth.
More plainly, guards are lowered and people feel better.
Second, AI serves to bring people together to envision and create a more hopeful and inspiring future. At its core, AI helps people change the way they currently see their organizations and their roles within it so that outlooks can be recast in a more meaningful and favourable light.
I guess we can say my friend’s team is worried that maybe she’d be the same as what they experienced in the past.
So we ordered two more espressos, asked for a napkin and a pen and got to work jotting down what she’d try once back in the office.
AI is pretty simple:
- Step one: discover the best of the present
- Step two: co-create attractive futures
- Step three: redesign the organization (or team) in light of the first two steps
- Step four: work with the energy generated by the process to make things happen
More clearly, my friend would give more meaning to things. Link the results of an assignment to a tangible outcome so people understand their value. Ask her team members what they love most about their job and spark curiosity for what could be. She’d also ask her team for their input – on what could be done differently and leverage their precious feedback.
Doing these things clearly demonstrates that she’s willing to make a difference so long as her team is open to it.
And open they were!
I heard from my friend over the weekend – just by setting up the conversations and talking about future plans, the mood on her team lightened.
The AI process isn’t a one-time thing. It has to be ongoing. Like the relationships we have in our personal lives, it takes time and effort to connect with the people we’re privileged to work with. Turning sentiment around doesn’t need to be clouded in mystery.
Prove that you’re available to listen and start changing the course of interactions. Get people thinking about tomorrow and take stock of how people light up.
In every sense, I’m proud of my friend and what she’s committed to doing for her team.
Not bad what four espressos can lead to. Total bill: $7.49. #alifetimeofvalue
