That was the key question from a new client referred to me to facilitate a workshop for her team. As a VP at a Fortune 50 company, she was bringing her team of 25, from California to DC and beyond, together for Community Week at HQ in Chicago and wanted to kick off the week strong. A huge investment and opportunity…she wanted people to understand themselves and each other better.
I shared my belief that what’s often missing in the Trust conversation is that we first need to trust ourselves. It requires self-awareness, a lens that is objective, that gives us a common language for our strengths, and a framework that puts these insights into context.
An often-overlooked stage of Trust is acceptance of ourselves so that we can be true to who we are while also learning to appreciate the differing strengths of others…and how these differences impact our collaborations and team dynamics.
Finally, with this understanding, we then need to develop learned behaviors and skills that help us bridge our differences, that can enhance productivity and help us work better together.
The VP responded that I had nailed it, that I had the right energy for the work. We were totally aligned that it’s important to give people the freedom to be themselves while also being accountable for their productivity and collaborations.
Throughout the workshop, the room was buzzing with energy, animated conversations, and laughter…combined with deep reflection and revelations about themselves and each other. Right up to the end of the day.
A true partner in the room, the client understood the importance of the risks of action-based bias and emotional triggers. The lack of psychological safety for people who are wired to research and plan…moving more like a tortoise than a hare…in a culture that moves quickly. She asked her leaders to address this with their teams going forward.
So much to celebrate as I learned in our Strategic Debrief with the leadership team the following week that they had continued to work with the materials and insights throughout their Community Week together.
The leaders created the safe spaces necessary to have important conversations. The teams made tangible “asks” of themselves and each other…”how can I be a better team member to you?”
One leader’s team asked her to declare whether she’s just thinking out loud or if they need to take action. Another leader’s team asked her to slow down when speaking with them.
With all the remote and hybrid work, there’s so much value in bringing people together, investing in their understanding of themselves and each other. Creating greater acceptance and learning behaviors and tools that support productivity and creative collaboration. And making space for people to have meaningful conversations, to make important asks of themselves and one another.
“A workplace that encourages self-awareness is an environment where the most productive, curious, and innovative people thrive.”
- Neil Blumenthal, CEO of Warby Parker
If you'd like insights into your unique creative problem-solving strengths and how our Customized Team Leadership Programs could help your team, we'd love to talk with you. You can find more information at InnovationSavvy.com or
