We are Dealing with Humans
The Diary of Mad A L&D Specialist Volume 2 Issue 13
In the middle of a meeting I realized there were some serious mistakes.
A list that was the main discussion point had errors. And it was on me.
I expected the people in the room, who were senior to me by role, to advise me to go back and make sure it was right before asking them again. I pictured myself leaving with my head down, embarrassed.
I did what we all do in these moments.
Play cover up. “I’ll send you an updated list. Give you a day or two to review. This is on me. I’m sorry…”
But they reacted differently than I expected.
One responded to me: “Sean, we trust you will correct this. The rationale is good. Just tell us who’s on it and keep moving. We don’t need to review it again.”
A relief hit my chest, at that moment I felt trusted.
The rest of the meeting went fine. We moved to other topics with ease.
There was one thing that stood out from the meeting.
Trust.
They knew that it was just a simple error and encouraged me to correct it and keep moving forward.
This reminded me that trust is one of the key skills, yes a skill people, that we need to be good leaders in any space and how it affects people.
In work. In our careers. In L&D.
This is easier said than done. I know it seems basic, right? No duh, we need trust.
But in the moment it’s a hard thing to do. Giving others that confidence is easier said than done.
~Especially when your direct report or teammate messes up. ~When someone misses a deadline. ~When it’s a big project and you know the impact will be seen.
I’ve been challenging myself on how I can extend trust to others, and keep in mind the feeling that goes along with that. This has look like
Similar to my experience in the meeting, when someone makes a mistake, trusting them to fix it and keep us moving.
When delegating a task to someone, asking them to check in only when needed, if they need information, and then getting out of their way.
This could also be asking for others to give their viewpoint and trusting it, making sure it’s included.
I think we underestimate the power of treating each other like humans first. Look, tech is fun and all. But we have to remember the human skills will never go out of style.
What’s one human-based skill you’ve been working on?