Academic knowledge? We’ve never had more access, availability, or ability to gain knowledge.

Clinical skills? The standard of excellence is improved nearly every day in our ability to gain greater technical skills applicable to our jobs and roles.

So, what’s missing?

Our ability to be human. Our ability to collaborate. Our ability to connect. Our ability to COMMUNICATE.

Sounds simple, right?

In a world where we’ve never been more “connected” from a technology perspective, why do we struggle to the point of burnout to communicate effectively with other human beings? The golden ticket to satisfaction and fulfillment in WHO we are, WHAT we do, and WHY we do what we do is collaborative communication.

Plain and simple, too many of us are simply surviving the chaos. And worse, we’re modeling survival instead of teaching thrival.

Academic knowledge and clinical skills are tangible, they can be measured without great difficulty. That’s simple enough. What about “collaborative communication?” Not quite so easy to define, gain, or measure, right? It requires us to be self-aware, even critical of our own way of doing things, our behaviors, and expectations – what we say, how we say it IF we say it.

The foundation for any useful application of knowledge and skills is our ability to communicate, collaborate, and connect with the humans around us.  Regardless of our age, our generation, our job, our title, or anything else.

The missing ingredient, the only antidote to the human energy crisis we’re experiencing is connection – rewarding and meaningful connections with people, in real life, in real-time. Burnout, fatigue, and depression, they’re real. Surviving the chaos isn’t the goal.  We weren’t made to be human beings, we’re meant to be human beings. We’re meant to thrive more days than we simply survive.

Human connections inspire us. They fulfill us. They empower us. AND, they’re back in style! I am so here for this!

Yes, connections used to just happen. Feed store, grocery store, t-ball games, church… some of us remember when we weren’t moving too fast to make new friends and learn something from a stranger.  We now have 4 generations in the workforce and dare I say, we are not doing a great job connecting. We don’t need more product knowledge and technical skills training – we need collaboration, listening, and behavioral understanding training! We can intentionally grow, develop, and pursue genuine connections to overcome the disconnection of the past decade (ok, I’m being conservative).

What are YOU going to do about it?

1.        How curious are you, or have you forgotten to be curious? How well do you know YOU? Do you have a version of you as I do with the name Judgmental Jodi?! Are you having ‘me vs them’ conversations, or we and us conversations?  Think about how you see, speak to, and speak about other generations – are you Collaborative Carol, or Judgmental Jodi?!

2.        How disciplined are you as a listener? Are you a good listener with most people, or a few people? With your co-workers who aren’t your friends?  According to Stephen Covey’s 5 Levels of Listening, we can be ignoring, pretending, selective, attentive, and empathetic. Where do you spend your time? This can be the most valuable investment in yourself – practice becoming a better listener!

3.        Who are you? Your authenticity builds your credibility! Are you too busy comparing yourself and others to some arbitrary standard of perfection, so nobody is ‘good enough’? You are good enough, and so am I. Your YOU matters. Your specific passions, motivations, and energy are exactly what the world needs. Ditch the comparisonitis and focus on being the best version of YOU, and celebrating other people’s weirdness while you’re at it!

Think about it, friends! And if you’re looking for some guidance or inspiration to level up, consider one of my upcoming coaching groups, or reach out for more information about speaking and facilitation with your organization!

Cheers!

– Jodi