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Reflection Yields Wisdom, Clarity, & Growth
The discovery of purpose, values, boundaries, and vision. Written by www.linkedin.com/in/coachjenn
A Mentoring Group Defines Purpose
A few weeks ago, I launched a mentoring program specifically for human resource leaders to have time and space to invest in themselves. The program consists of eight weeks of content, collaboration, self-discovery, career navigation, and the creation of a safe, confidential, and supportive group of peers.
The lessons learned apply far beyond our cohort – they are essential for anyone who wants to lead and communicate with clarity. We dug deep to reveal the fabric of who we are, our heritage, motivations, priorities, personal values, and core purpose of being. We have defined our boundaries, pondered the concepts of authenticity, self-expression, the value we bring to others/organizations, our desired legacy, and we have created personal vision statements. All this discovery fed into a lively personal brand conversation, taking into consideration all that we are, and becoming focused on specifically who we choose to become. From this deep dive into ourselves, we discussed being intentional about how we show up and how we communicate with others in our personal and professional circles.
Consider The Audience
A common thread that we pulled through these first few weeks is how important it is that we consider and fully understand our audience. Whether it’s a one-on-one conversation, a presentation, a speech, or even a performance review, the message you want to deliver will land better if it is framed up with a clear understanding of how your audience experiences you, perceives you or your topic, what their current emotional state is, and what is weighing most heavily on them at the time. This can change everything for you.
Due Diligence
Just as companies practice due diligence before making commitments, leaders must do the same before delivering messages by truly understanding their audience.
You might be familiar with the phrase “due diligence” in reference to company mergers and acquisitions, which refers to reviewing a company’s financial records, contracts, operations, legal obligations, liabilities, compliance status, intellectual property, and culture to assess risks and confirm value. Or possibly you are familiar with legal use referring to the duty to investigate and disclose facts to avoid negligence or misrepresentation. Simply put, due diligence is the deep dive you do before you commit to something, so there are no costly surprises later.
What due diligence can you do on your audience before delivering an important message or pitch?
Questions To Reflect & Prepare:
- What do I want them to know?
- Where do they stand on this today?
- How do they feel about this topic?
- What experiences do they have related to my topic?
- What gaps can be filled by the information I want to share?
- What questions will they have about the information I will share?
- What could potentially get in the way of implementing or adopting the information I share?
- What can change how my audience views my topic?
- What state of mind do I want my audience in when I deliver my message or pitch?
- What can I do to help create the ideal mental and physical state of my audience before I deliver my message?
- What is the ideal time and space for me to deliver my message?
- What support or resources do I need to ensure I land my message as I intend?
- Is there anyone I need to loop in or collaborate with prior to delivering my message?
- How do I want to show up for this conversation or presentation?
- What parts of me do I want to shine or highlight?
- What mental, physical, or spiritual work do I want to do so that I present myself and my message with clarity, confidence, and conviction?
Prioritize This First
In the HR Pioneer group, there was significant conversation about how this personal work folds into our professional careers. It’s no secret that HR is one of the most likely professions to experience burnout, frustration, chronic fatigue, low morale, and all the while have to put on the happy face for their constituents. Nothing will fatigue you more than pretending to be something that you are not.
Prioritize your health, wellness, and development first before anything else.
If you are not grounded in your human purpose, living your “Why” (gratitude to Simon Sinek), and aligned with your core values, then that is where the heaviest lifting starts, and where the root cause of your stress emerges.
Grounding yourself in truth and purpose is where strength begins. You begin to flourish when you are living your values and honoring your boundaries.
When this is your base of operation- standing in your wisdom- it becomes easier to show up with intention, aligned with your Universe, and more capable of connecting with others and delivering your message with clarity and purpose. Everything gets easier.
Take five minutes today to ask yourself one of the reflection questions above.
You’ll be surprised how quickly clarity emerges.