This is a follow up to Part 1, a discussion of David Richo’s book, How to be an Adult in Relationships. Richo’s book is written to help adults in their personal relationships, but I’m intrigued with how they apply to Next Companies. Here are the final of his 5 A’s:
- Allowance - Allowance is different from Acceptance, which I talked about in my last blog. Acceptance relates to people as they are; allowance gives psychic latitude to become. When you give allowance to a coworker, you support them in taking training classes that don’t tie directly to their job. You encourage them to talk about their professional aspirations, even if they want your job. Working in Next Companies is not for the weak-kneed, my friends. Allowance calls on us to let pigeons out of their holes, tellers out from behind their desks, and executives the space and time to rediscover their passion. For allowance to flourish, it helps to shed ‘job description’ thinking. At Brazilian-based Semco, Ricardo Semler allows people to choose write their own job descriptions, choose their hours, and decide their wages. Here’s a text-based interview with Semler, and here’s another for you audiophiles.
- Appreciation - All of us want appreciation - a high five when we close a deal, a personal note from a supervisor acknowledging our overtime. A lot of employees complain that they don’t get enough appreciation from their bosses. I empathize, and I also ask, “When was the last time you pulled your boss aside and told them how much you enjoyed your work or their leadership?” At Next Companies, appreciation flows abundantly in all directions. Companies that want to grow in appreciation will benefit from the theory of the dipper and the bucket. Offering appreciative words to others is like adding to their bucket. And when you work in an environment where people’s buckets are full… well, that’s magical indeed.
- Attention - Energy follows attention. In all living systems, people grow towards the source of energy. This is called the heliotropic affect in nature, and it works in human systems, too. Have you ever noticed that if we give our attention to the toxic people in our workplaces - the ones who gossip, spread rumors, and disparage others - eventually the entire workplace turns toxic? The reverse is also true. When we give attention to positive people and events, eventually the entire workplace becomes positive. Next Companies are places where attention is showered on positive people and things.
These 5 A’s - Acceptance, Affection, Allowance, Appreciation and Attention - help us to be adults in relationships, at home, and at Next Companies. Here’s to you getting straight A’s!
