Humility

I believe that I can always learn something from everyone I meet.  And, I meet people from all walks of life.    

All of us quickly form an impression about someone we have just met.  Unfortunately, the impression may be that we have nothing to learn from that person.  If we can overcome that hurdle,  we may be pleasantly surprised that we can learn something from that person.

I facilitated meetings for four committees at a previous employer.  My mindset was that everyone whom I worked with on these committees had something of value to contribute.  Everyone could take their turn and provide their thoughts on the agenda item at hand.  People were encouraged to provide their thoughts if they seemed reluctant to offer their thoughts.  These meetings were an excellent experience because creative ideas came out of these meetings and all sides of an issue were examined.

Continuing with the same employment experience, when the Joint Health and Safety Committee conducted a workplace inspection of a department, we would talk to employees in that department to ask if they had any health or safety concerns.  We were mindful that the employees themselves in any one department were in the best position to know about any health or safety hazards in their own department.  We can learn something if only we ask.

As a job seeker, in coffee networking meetings, I am mindful that I can learn something from the person with whom I’m meeting.  The more I learn about a person through multiple interactions, the greater the understanding I will have of that person.  We form a stronger connection if each of us knows what is important to the other and to ask about those things at opportune times.

Collaborative companies that encourage employees to collaborate and share information makes for an enriched and (possibly) a more engaged workforce.  I like the idea that if I’m weak in a certain area, I could learn from a colleague to enhance my knowledge.  By the same token, maybe I’m strong in another area and I could pass along what I know to a colleague.  At a collaborative company, mentors and mentees are one in the same person and employees get to learn from each other. 

Tasytt is a company based in Hamilton, Canada.  They have a platform that makes onboarding easier. As well, the platform encourages knowledge sharing among employees.   It seems that a company that is or wants to become collaborative may wish to look into Tasytt.

To me humility means being open to wanting to learn from other people. 

It’s a strength to possess humility.

The world could do with a little more humility.

Originally Published on LinkedIn:  January 21, 2016

Image Credit:  Pixabay