Magic in the Room #62: The Coolest Things We Have Done
June 30, 2021
Telling stories is one way that teams connect, learn about each other, and build trust. In this episode of Magic in the Room, Luke, Chris, and Hannah talk about some of their best experiences. Before you listen, take a guess: who caught a fish with their hands? Who played professional poker? Who hauled a deer through the woods?
Have you ever thought about or shared the five coolest things you have done in your life? Your list will provide tremendous insight into who you really are as a person. In the workplace, this simple exercise will enable teams to learn more about one another and what motivates them in life. Chris challenges his fellow hosts to share their coolest moments and stories. Be prepared for a few surprises in today's episode.
Chris also asks Luke and Hannah to share the experience of putting their list together for the podcast recording. Luke initially put his list together very quickly with things that were top of his mind. But then he looked closer, he quickly learned that the list was full of extreme things. A theme emerged from the list and provided a fun moment of self-reflection when looking at his life through a different lens.
Hannah also had a gut feeling about the amazing things she had done. But her overanalyzing mind quickly took over, and she began to dig a little deeper. As Hannah reflected, it enabled her to identify an ongoing theme of adventure and how it manifests in the stories she shares with others. Moreover, she discovered that these experiences were a big part of her identity, which was incredibly cool too.
Why is it good for us to share our stories in an exercise? For Chris, when we share our experiences and stories, we bond differently. These conversations in the workplace can also help build the same bonds with your team, create environments of trust and a better workflow. Hannah discusses how when we engage with the people in our lives and show up as our fully present selves, we can shape our experiences and the experiences of those we lead.
Luke discusses how it's unrealistic for new leaders to lead people into meaningful experiences if they don't have any themself. Leaders need to be open for an organization to continue to evolve. If you are stuck in the grind all the time, it's going to be hard for you to lead your organization into a place where you are all living life to its fullest potential.
When you look around a room, someone must bring some fun and the spirit of connection. Chris warns around the dangers of passing that obligation to someone else. Ultimately, leading requires us to look at life through the lens of positive potential and how we connect with one another to get there.
Hannah, Luke, and Chris have shared their personal experiences, and cool things they have done with the listeners of the Magic in the Room Podcast. They invite you to share yours by emailing them at info@purposeandperformancegroup.com. Remember, you can also get a free Magic in the Room hat by simply going to www.magicintheroom.com.
In this episode of Magic in the Room, Luke, Hannah, and Chris delve into the timely topic of hope versus cynicism in leadership, particularly in a world rife with uncertainty and negativity. The discussion focuses on whether hope alone is sufficient for transformational leadership or if, in environments steeped in cynicism, leaders must amplify their energy and intentionality, sometimes matching the intensity of cynics to move organizations forward. They examine the "hope recipe," which involves envisioning a better future, creating a pathway, and having agency. They also discuss the difficulty of maintaining agency when systems, culture, or fatigue threaten to sap it. They differentiate between strategically "letting go" and simply "giving up," emphasizing the importance of support, accountability, and self-awareness as antidotes to cynicism.
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