Bright Spots in Action

We've talked before about Bright Spots, about Random Acts of Kindness, and about Creating Something Different. 

Today, I wanted to share a fun example of a team putting the idea of Bright Spots into Action. 

Following our work together, this team got busy implementing their takeaways, by creating the following. 

They created a bulletin board to capture bright spots, and they used our check-in exercise related to internal weather systems to give each team member an opportunity to share their daily “weather systems,” if desired. As their director shared, “that way, if someone is having a tough day they support each other or help spread joy if their day is going well.” 

Additionally, they created a list of rules and expectations for their interactions with each other, and they had real conversations about what it could look like to work toward positive change. 

A New Path Forward

It is worth noting that our session together was not easy.

In fact, it was one of the tougher sessions that I've facilitated in 10.5 years. 

That said, the team was open to having the hard conversations and doing the deep work related to positive change. Together, they are co-creating a new path forward –one conversation and intentional action at a time. 

This example feels especially inspiring at a time when we are navigating so much division, so much polarization, so much heartache, and so much hardship on a collective level. 

It is a reminder that we can focus on our own sphere of influence —within our families, our communities, our teams, and organizations —to have meaningful conversations, to work through challenges, and to understand each other on a human-to-human level. 

Thank you to each of you who are doing this type of work within your own spheres each day.

As the saying goes, we can “create the thing we wish existed,” even if that means starting on a small scale. 

Questions to Ponder

• What is one way that I can “create the change I wish existed” within my own sphere of influence? 

• What is one way that we can recognize, acknowledge, and/or celebrate bright spots this week? 

• What is one thing that is going well?

• What could it look like to connect with my team members on a human-to-human level next week, before diving into tasks or projects? 

Additional Resource

• A Manager's Guide to Having the Most Essential Conversations with Your Employees – Some great tactical tips for bringing a coaching-based approach into your regular 1:1 meetings