Ephesians 4:2-3 NIV Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
How are you doing? Many of us are weary and tired! It has been a year since the health pandemic began! We have a vaccine and are hopeful some sense of normalcy will soon return. Who knows what the new normal will be. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to be “outside.” I’m ready to hug up and be in spaces with those I love and adore. I’m ready to take a vacation, to just be and do, and to have a sense of freedom!
A great deal is and has been going on! People are traumatized. The pandemic has traumatized us all. We are not alright! Our mental health has, in many cases, been shattered!! Life and situations as we have known them will never be the same. There is a new paradigm about people and work...though much of this had gone on well before the pandemic...even before recent racism and oppression. People are not transactions! People are human with feelings and emotions. We cannot and should not think of enslaving peoples mind, body, or spirit! It is imperative that in order to bring the very best out in all people, we must not see it as transactions.
Let’s think about relational vs. transitional relationships. The term transactional relationship is used commonly in marketing and communications. Every time you have the opportunity to interact with someone, you have the opportunity to either build up or tear down the relationship! Relational Communication is listening to one another, discussing topics other than the project at hand, and/or maybe sharing a vulnerability. It’s about finding areas of commonality to build connection points. On the other hand, transactional communication is the need to get something done which results in a concise exchange and often lacks understanding of the other person’s feelings or how they engage the encounter. It is not healthy to be too far in one direction. In the workplace it is important for employees to be heard and made to feel like they are valued for their contributions. It takes everyone to make it work! As best said by Sir Richard Branson “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” People are our greatest assets!
As you know this is #StuffValSaid, but what do you say? Are you relational or transactional? Are you putting people first? What must be done move toward more relational communications and relationships? Here are a few things to consider:
• Build trust
• Have empathy
• Understand other views
• Be flexible
• Value people
• Focus on long term not short term
• Watch your tones both oral and written
• Be generous
• Don’t “run” over people
• Love one another
1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Love you!!!
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