In honour of National Honesty Day on April 30th, I want to explore the importance of honesty and caring in the conversations that we have a on a day-to-day basis.
We all know that honest conversations are the cornerstone of great relationships. However, sometimes it is difficult to be truly honest: it requires that we open ourselves up to be vulnerable. And who wants to do that?
But what if we could have an open, honest conversation—one where we presented our vulnerabilities—knowing that we would not be judged? That the other person would respect that our ideas—while different—were equally valuable? Where the other individual would strive to view the world through our lens?
What would change? How powerful would that be?
As I focus 95% of my business on hosting conversations, I can tell you that the conversations where we establish trust in order to share and discover together are incredibly potent.
I’ve been part of many powerful conversations. They have provided me with positive energy, helped me view the world from a different perspective and led to some pretty cool outcomes—not just in terms of action items and shared visions, but also in terms of new relationships that challenged me to grow, learn, and push the envelope. In business, when these outcomes are achieved, conversations are more animated, dynamic, and fluid. They lead to positive and innovative business growth.
New relationships with people who look at the world differently than you = new ideas and opportunities. Positive energy = a fire lit under your butt to get things done. Shared vision = increased collaboration, market reach, and new opportunities. Pushing the envelope = out-of-the-box thinking and personal growth.
At the core of each of these ‘safe’ powerful conversations are three things:
a commitment to caring for each other
each individual speaking their truth
finding similarities and bridging differences
It comes down to respecting each other, listening with our hearts and minds, and finding ways to connect our personal journeys in such a way that we can share lessons that build momentum.
When trust is established and honest, caring, respectful communication takes place, the risk isn’t as great as one might think. And, in business, as in life, good things happen when you take risks.
Want to experience this level of trust in conversation? Check out the conversations I host with HIP Strategic Consulting. We specialize in creating the space for deep, rich, honest, and amazing conversations to take place.
Image Credit: pixabay.com
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