In last month’s newsletter I wrote: “If you want to become a great leader, gain the capacity to connect with colleagues and customers – at a deep level – or lower your aim.” Kent, a reader, asked, “What is the Fierce definition of human connectivity?”
I don’t have an official definition for human connectivity, but I know it when I experience it and I imagine you do too.
Certainly human connectivity occurs one wonderfully fierce conversation at a time. And we all know what a fierce conversation is, right? It’s one in which you and I come out from behind ourselves, into the conversation, and make it real. You may have noticed that connection occurs most often during moments of honesty and vulnerability. There is something deep within us that responds to those who level with us, who don’t suggest our compromises for us. And it goes both ways. You and I won’t be connected if only one of us is willing to disclose our real thoughts and emotions. You and I won’t experience connectivity if we are only willing to be “real” on rare occasions. Connectivity doesn’t happen when we yawn and text message our way through a succession of meetings. It doesn’t happen when we become anesthetized or tune out. Connectivity requires persistent identity. It requires intimacy, vulnerability and radical transparency, which scares most people half to death. To keep it simple, human connectivity requires that we…
Tell the truth. Tell the truth. Tell the truth…
…to ourselves and others, with good intent. When you and I or a dozen people sitting around a table tell the truth as much as we can, when we speak directly to the heart of the issue at hand, when we see past the surface and into each other, we will connect, in part because we recognize that we are more similar than different. And when we practice human connectivity, we reap the rewards that come with it. For businesses, human connectivity with colleagues and customers is the next frontier for exponential growth, the only sustainable competitive edge. For individuals, well, let me just say that for many years, I have invested in connection, at a deep level, with clients and friends around the world. The return has been spectacular.
Tags: #Dishonesty, #Lack Of Transparency
