Inspiration

In the Harvard Business Review, a recent article caught my eye and heart. To Inspire Your Team, Share More of Yourself by Gia Storms. Here is an excerpt that resonates with me as a coach and a human:

“It was once believed that scrubbing notions of the self from presentations and regulating emotions at all cost was key to being perceived as an effective leader. However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that in order to inspire people to follow you, sharing personal stories with vulnerability, humor, and humility allows audiences to see you as human and thus be inspired by you.

The reason? Telling personal stories helps lead to more trust in relationships. Research tracks three key drivers of trust: authenticity, logic, and empathy. We tend to trust people who we believe are acting as their real selves and demonstrating empathy. Increasing realness and humanity by sharing personal stories is one powerful way to build that trust.

Luckily, connecting more personally in this way is a teachable skill.”

Yes, it is a skill that can be developed and wonderfully used. This is the essence of coaching with the aim of emotional intelligence - my specialty.