The Importance of Grace in the Workplace

We would like to thank Dr. Stevie Dawn for this guest blog post. Dr. Stevie Dawn is a keynote speaker and corporate trainer who specializes in emotional intelligence strategies in the workplace. We have found Dr. Stevie Dawn’s workshops particularly helpful as we’ve navigated the unusual challenges of 2020. We chose to share a bit of her wisdom with our readers, many of whom own and operate businesses of their own.

Grace isn’t a word we often use when describing workplace behavior, yet lately it has come up more and more in my training sessions. When we talk about communication, we talk about the importance of trying to understand each other clearly. To truly hear each other’s words. To stop pushing our points, out of respect for the other person.

We know how difficult this can be. So why do we hold others to a standard of perfection?

Many organizations I work with are focused on improving communication internally and externally. This is an awesome goal! To be an effective communicator, I teach two main things:

1. You must focus on your words, rather than busying your brain looking for hidden meaning behind the words themselves. You know when it happens: Someone is talking to you, and before you know it, you are thinking about a previous conversation. Or, even worse, you have tuned them out completely and are thinking about what you want to have for dinner (cheeseburgers, obviously!). Turn off the part of your brain that drifts, and truly hang onto the words of the other person.
2. Understand that our emotions impact our communication. You have to utilize emotional intelligence to separate your current emotions from the conversation. Take off your emotional filters to hear the conversation with empathy for the other person’s perspective.

If you can achieve these two things, great! You are well on your way to being an effective communicator. Now, stop and ask yourself: Is the other person doing the same? Did he or she attend the same training? Does he or she know how to utilize the same skills?

We often make an assumption that everyone approaches the conversation from the exact same point of view as us. I bet right now, you’re thinking, “Well of course I don’t do that.”

Guess what… you do. So do I. We hold each other to an unrealistic standard of perfection. We don’t allow people conversational grace, or communication do-overs, if you will. We expect people to communicate effectively and to empathize with us at every step. Because, of course, that is what we are doing for them.

Let’s try a different tactic. Let’s hold each other to a standard of grace, not perfection. Give people some slack. Allow them a conversational do-over. Ask questions instead of making assumptions.

With grace comes understanding. And with understanding comes empathy.

It starts today. It starts with us.

Good luck!

Regardless of whether you own a small business, communication is one of the most important keys to success in any workplace. This is especially relevant with the unique challenges and opportunities of 2020. To meet with Dr. Stevie Dawn virtually, check out her complimentary webinar on Thursday, December 17^th: Unlocking Bold Confidence. We hope her message is as helpful for you as it has been for us.