We are reading a book called "The Love Prescription", which is about 7 days to more intimacy, connection and joy. You may be wondering, what does reading this book have to do with your business about leadership? And, one of the things we have learned, over and over again, is that finding the things that help us show up better in one place usually have a spillover effect to other places in our lives.
One of the tenets of the book, which is by Drs. John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman, is a focus on "small things often", which can fly in the face of so much of what we see around us, where big gestures and grand moments rule the narrative. As we explored the idea of this concept, we started noting the ways in which little moments created big impact in our professional experiences.
A few examples that came to mind:
the email from a colleague expressing appreciation for our work
the offer from one of our team members to take on a bigger role in a project
the thank you call from our boss
the LinkedIn post from a peer that mentioned our role in a recent success
the feedback from a mentor that helped us see a different perspective
Each of these examples stood out for a few common reasons: they were authentic, they acknowledged the feelings/experiences with sincerity and they created connection. We recalled how those little moments were deposits that strengthened our relationships and allowed us to build trust with those around us, which we know is critical to the success of teams long-term.
The other thing that little moments create is the opportunity to notice what is important to those you work with - whether they respond to notes, calls, support, recognition or displays of trust and confidence, or some mix of all of that, the little moments build understanding of how to better lead in ways that are both authentic and impactful for your teams, your organization and your leadership.
In our corporate careers, we know that there are only so many annual awards ceremonies or opportunities for grand gestures, and when we recognize that the little moments can actually create greater connection and trust, we begin to take action in ways that have bigger ripple effects and long-term impact on the leadership within our organizations.
The next time you are reading something or listening to a podcast or in a conversation with someone, try being open to the ideas that are being shared as having application beyond that one moment and we bet you will start finding lots of opportunities to create little moments with big impact.
What is a little moment that had big impact for you?