Beyond Gratitude: Show People They Matter
Show people they matter before they close their heart. An open heart strives to grow, enjoys being coached, and welcomes honest feedback. Feeling significant fuels motivation.
Genuine interest in team members energizes engagement. But when people feel devalued, they focus on daily minimum requirements.
Stories:
Concentrate on people more than performance during one-on-ones. Let people know they matter by exploring their story.
Stories shape life.
Use a 6-Panel Storyboard to Show People They Matter:
Send an email explaining that you’re learning more about everyone on the team. Ask them to create a 6-panel storyboard, if they’re comfortable. The goal is reflecting on formative moments.
Divide a piece of paper into 6 parts. Draw an image of a formative event in each square. Emphasize this isn’t an art project. Stick figures are fine. Use these prompts to get started.
- When you share childhood stories, which one comes to mind most frequently?
- What childhood experience taught you something you still live by?
- What past experience shaped you?
- What struggle tested and influenced you?
- What event or person made you see life or yourself differently?
- Who in your family had the most influence on you? How?
- Who outside your family, influenced you?
- What conversation from your past do you still remember?
- Looking over your life, what recurring moments of happiness/sadness do you notice?
- What advice have you received that has stayed with you for years?
One-on-ones:
Discuss the 6-Panel Storyboard during one-on-ones. Help people appreciate themselves and explain how they matter.
Debrief by asking…
- How is this story showing up in your life today?
- How has this story changed you?
- List one positive quality in each panel that you developed because of that experience.
- Based on your formative stories, what does bringing your best self to life mean?
How can leaders show people they matter?
What prompts or debrief questions show people they matter?
Author’s note: Many coaches use the Lifeline Exercise as a reflection tool. Stan Endicott taugth me the 6-Panel Storyboard exercise a few years ago. Both are useful. They serve different purposes. I like the use of sketches. I like the limitation to six formative stories.
Dan, thank you for sharing! I really like to concept, idea, and questiond..We are the sum of our experiences and stories.
Thanks, Mark. I hope you find some good uses for this exercise.
Every day is a new page in your story! You control the narrative!
That’s true, Michael. One way to look at life is we are writing our own story.
Imagine a stick picture of me when I first discovered Leadership Freak! That’s not a huge stretch. Seriously, this is a great idea and I plan to implement it! Thanks.
What a wonderful thing to say. Thanks, Will!
My personal mantra as I grow in leadership, “you have to care about the people who are doing the work that you care about.”
Thanks for jumping in today, Leslie. Caring about people should be emphasized more by leaders. People aren’t tools.
Thanks Dan! YOU MATTER!!!!! These wonderful nuggets you gift us are amazing and today is no exception. I am facilitating a team retreat next week and you have just gifted me with an excellent new activity. Thank YOU!!!! My gratitude overflows…
It’s a pleasure to be useful. I wish you well with your facilitation.
I think this would be a great exercise for fiction writers to use for their characters
Fascinating. I hadn’t thought of that, Lyndie. Thanks for sharing your insight.
Lovely idea. But so American. I would never reveal all this at work and neither would many New Zealanders, at least of my generation. Too much private information. So how could it be adapted to being useful with less private content?
Thanks for jumping in today, Joanne. It could be risky to share your story with an untrustworthy leader. When I send this exercise to clients, I tell them not to share anything they feel uncomfortable sharing. I appreciate your perspective. I come from a stoic New England heritage. I was brought up on a dairy farm. You might be surprised how much we agree with each other. I wish you well.
I too am from New Zealand, and this would work well in different teams in our workplace. I love this activity for opening ourselves up to learning.
Dan –those are 10 great questions to get people thinking about the significant, most impactful moments in their lives.
Thanks for the good word, Paul. Cheers