Welcome to the Deploy Yourself Newsletter. Every two weeks I share about what impactful coaching and leadership look like. I also share the most insightful lessons and stories I encountered in the last two weeks. You can also read this issue online.
I Sent YOU!! – A Poem
I was talking today to a long-time friend of mine, and he reminded me of this poem I wrote more than 9 years ago (in Sep 2011). This was much before the idea of Deploy Yourself was born. Yet when I think of my articles and poetry from that time (which can be found on www.sumit4all.com), the central theme seems to be the same – of deploying ourselves or empowering those around us, of being able to see with new eyes and to realize how powerful we are to create change in the world around us.
Here it goes:-
I knew a young man,
Energetic and ambitious!
He grew up in struggle,
Like in mud grows a lotus!!
He had big dreams for himself,
And ahead he went with full steam!
But he always used to wonder,
Why the world is so extreme??
At times he saw people confused,
Worrying about what ‘all‘ to eat?
Yet at other times he saw the poor,
Wondering about ‘what‘ to eat??
He could never understand,
How could this be even possible?
If all are children of the same God,
How can one, and other not be special??
He used to think in disbelief,
Why doesn’t God do anything?
If he has all the power,
For what is he waiting??
One night in his dream he saw God,
He asked how can this be true?
There is so much misery around,
Why doesn’t He come to the rescue??
God said He has done his work,
The man asked, “What did you DO?”
To this God laughed and said,
“Can’t you see my child, I sent YOU !!”
P.S. – while the poem mentions God, it is not religious in nature. The central theme of the poem, if there is one, is empowerment.
If what you read above made you realize something deep, hit reply, and share the insight that you had?
Articles and Stories Which Have Fascinated Me
One
As A Leader, Can You See And Treat Your People As Superheroes?
Showing belief in someone can be powerful. It is so easy to judge, doubt, and belittle people that honest belief in someone’s abilities can be refreshing and empowering.
Treating your people as superheroes can instill a lot of confidence in people. Believing that an employee is capable of much more than their current performance can help change your actions and words in many subtle ways. These small changes are reflected in your body language and tone of voice, and give people confidence and belief in their own abilities, freeing them of any doubts and insecurities.
It is said that people perform at the level their leaders expect them to, and the first step to improve the performance of your people is by changing how you look at them – with judgment and feedback, or with wonder, curiosity, and awe. See them as superheroes, and they will perform like one.
From How to Expand the Capacity of Your People and Enable Them to Do More Than They Think They Are Capable of? – An Article From My Desk
Two
I don’t know. I need help. I made a mistake. I’m sorry.
I recently finished reading The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth by Amy Edmonson in which she writes about the importance of psychological safety in the modern knowledge-work economy. She writes:
A few simple, uncommon, powerful phrases that anyone can utter to make the workplace feel just a tiny bit more psychologically safe: I don’t know. I need help. I made a mistake. I’m sorry.
She adds that the “failure of an employee to speak up in a crucial moment cannot be seen. This is true whether that employee is on the front lines of customer service or sitting next to you in the executive board room. And because not offering an idea is an invisible act, it’s hard to engage in real-time course correction. This means that psychologically safe workplaces have a powerful advantage in competitive industries.”
To me the words “I don’t know. I need help. I made a mistake. I’m sorry.” signal a turning point as it acknowledges the lack of certain skill or knowledge and open pathways to learning which are closed otherwise. Yet in most companies, these words are very hard, almost impossible for anyone to say.
From the book The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth by Amy Edmonson
That’s it for now. If you have any questions, just hit reply. All the best,
Sumit
(Twitter) @SumitGupta
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