It's incredible how just three simple words, "I see you," can profoundly impact our business and personal relationships. As leaders-whether starting a company, leading a division or playing a key member role-it's crucial to understand the value of these words. Using them effectively can create deeper connections with those around us: customers, colleagues and strategic partners and these deeper connections are crucial in this environment. Inspiration for the story today came from a personal experience when I was the first to arrive on a video call (one of several in a row). As I asked if anyone could see me, another guest responded and included those three magic words, "Yes, Gary. I see you." It left a lasting impression and showed me the power of acknowledging someone's presence much more profoundly than, ‘yes, I’ll be right there’. Or, ‘running just a minute late, hang on please’. Right!
But "I see you" is more than just a physical acknowledgment. It's about recognizing someone's worth and building stronger relationships. In South Africa's Northern Natal region, the tribes greet each other with "Sawubona," which means "I see you." It's about acknowledging someone's value beyond their physical being. It's about more than words of politeness, Sawubona carries the importance of recognizing the worth and dignity of each person. Wow. So I began to wonder: is there a way to bring the value and weight of this saying into the digital domain? Can the depth of this greeting be useful in a business setting? Can this greeting help us with our humanness as distinct from our AI?
To answer these questions I created four pillars to help you harness the power of "I see you" in your business and personal life (which are inextricably connected), and they are;I. Seeing and Leading Yourself (how you show up in business online and in person),
II. Leading others, three behaviors are key to a leader who is ‘seen’ and ‘sees others’,
III. Expanding your organizational impact by educating and influencing others,
IV. Expanding your career by seeing others and creating your portable tribe.
By recognizing someone's worth and connecting with them on a deeper level-even in business settings-you can turbocharge your communication and transform your relationships in ways you might never have dared imagine, and there create unusually high business impact.
In a day and time when we are all both excited and yet anxious about integrating the many roles of AI into helping us be our best human beings, we hold the absolute power in our unique human form of recognizing the value in each other, one person at a time. We can truly see what no machine can see.
Let's make those around us feel more fully seen with the power of "I see you," and join me on this journey to see and be seen!
Links & Resources:
Schedule Free Listening Time with Gary@GaryDanoff.com
