Every time you meet another person, you have an opportunity right from the start to influence the flow of your relationship. Stop and consider how powerful that can be for your leadership and for your life. Often we drop into a meeting without a particular intention for how we connect with the person or team at that moment. These three principles will help you establish as positive a relationship as possible from the first hello, wave, or elbow bump.
Greet others the way you want to be greeted.
Treating others as you would like to be treated is a fundamental principle of nearly every ethical system around the world. The more this principle is practiced, the smoother life will be and the more that positive actions will come into being.
How would you like to be greeted? With a smile? With simple recognition of your humanity? Answer this question, and you already have the roadmap of how to greet someone else in order to start on a positive note with each new personal encounter.
Approach each greeting with sincere openness and curiosity.
Will Rogers’ headstone says, “I never met a man I didn’t like.” It’s easy to be positive when you meet someone new. But what about those people who are difficult, or with whom there has been conflict in the past? The beauty of each new moment, each new encounter is that we can co-create the moment to become what we would like it to become. You don’t have to bring any historic negativity to a new encounter. You have the chance to start anew... if you choose to.
The amazing power of this approach is that you will often find that “challenging” individuals will take their cue from you as they respond. Bring a little warmth and humanity to your greeting, and you may begin the thaw of an icy situation. Sometimes all it takes is for you to be strong enough to take that first step. And, remember, your approach must be sincere. We all have excellent radar, and any inauthentic gesture is visible from a mile away.
Once you have shared greetings, listen.
Being open to each greeting also includes letting go of expectations of how others respond. We often offer and receive greetings multiple times a day, and it can be easy to let them slide right by us without being present and aware to what is being shared. Listen carefully to the words that are expressed, and listen just as intently to those that are not said. Take a look at who you are greeting, and also be aware of all the cues that are expressed through their body – their posture, their facial expression, where they are looking, and the tone and texture of their voice. Leading compassionately begins with an awareness of the circumstances of another, and you can learn so much about those circumstances through simple attention when you greet them.
Creating positive influence, interactions, and culture are fundamental principles for leaders building compassionate organizations. The superpower of a positive greeting can quickly jumpstart an environment of flourishing. Here’s a simple challenge – bring awareness and positive intention to each daily, weekly, and monthly act of meeting and greeting. We can’t wait to hear what you discover.