Some of you have heard me talk about the how we are all icebergs at work during our coaching sessions. Below is my illustration where the person in the analogy is the iceberg itself and the water is the dividing line:
Employee Iceberg:
_______
( )
( At Work) <-Above Water
__________ (_________)_________ <-Water Line
/ Kids \
/ Spouse \
/ Finance \
/ Faith \
/ Health \ <-Below Water
\ Hobbies /
\ Pets /
\ etc /
\ /
\ /
\_______ /
Each of us are complicated human beings that have many things going on beneath the surface. What we are showing above the water at work is only a fraction of who we are. For us to connect to each other, we must work up our trust to lower the water line. Leaders who allow themselves to be vulnerable with their teams create bonding trust that allows for a safer working environment and a deeper understanding of decisions. Leaders gain a tremendous amount of trust when they are engaged with their teams to understand when something below the water line is affecting a teammate and find a way to help them through it.
Engage your team, be vulnerable, be a leader.