SOFT SKILLS MATTER
Run Headfirst Into the Conversation, Scary as it May Be
Because turning away just isn’t an option anymore.
Our moral imperative: To lean into the uncomfortable.
Have you ever stopped to consider the person sitting next to you in the office or on the other end of your Zoom call? Do you see them as a coworker, direct report, or team member, or as someone carrying a whole world inside them that you know nothing about?
An entirely new realization rocked my world this week.
It was a normal week at first. I worked alongside my product team, had our typical meetings, and assumed it would be another regular week. But something different happened. Early in the week, I picked up on some cues from a coworker when I saw how many out-of-office appointments he put on the calendar to go to the chiropractor.
At least 10 appointments showed up on our team’s shared calendar. 10. That’s a lot of chiropractor appointments. “Why so many?” I thought.
I didn’t want to get nosy but I felt something bothering me inside, pulling me to want to ask. Yet the fear of saying anything was stronger. It kept eating at me for the better part of the morning.
