#my3words – human

Human is the last of my three words to cover in this series of blogs.

It’s much later than I planned. I’ve been busy learning some new skills and also engrossed with the #insidestory awards judging and shortlisting. So here now, is the third and final instalment of #mythreewords.

We’re human, of course, but often in business we can sometimes ‘forget’ to be ourselves and show our ‘human’ side at work. That’s why this is an important word to guide my business strategy and the year ahead. Like voice and moment, human also has many interpretations for me in my work and personal life.

Being more human

Of course, humans have both good and bad traits and everything in between. Being human could mean being angry and irritable, but here it’s about being more real and less corporate in a positive and good way. Smile, offer help, be kind, be honest (but deliver it with empathy), allow yourself to take risks and make mistakes learning all the way.

This is especially relevant to my work when I’m advising clients on their approach to communication to make their businesses better. It’s not uncommon for an organisation to have lost all sense of what it means to be a real human individual. Leaders and their approaches to communication have a huge impact on people at work and making workplaces better for everyone. It’s simple but true that visible, open and transparent leaders who listen more than they talk can be the most successful. Our work as communicators must also be more human, putting the people we need to communicate with at the heart of our strategy.

Everyone is human – be realistic.

I always have high expectations (note to self I promised myself this post would be written a week ago. That was an impossible promise with the work to be done). Sometimes the expectation can be unrealistic and never achievable. Keep it real and humanly possible. Stuff happens, people get ill, deadlines collide, trains are delayed.

Behaviour is human

We all have our reasons for making the choices and having the opinions that we have. Our opinions and values guide our behaviour. While as an outside looking on at an individual or group we may scratch our heads at why they would do or say something that we ‘just don’t get’ it’s our job as communicators to find out why. We need to understand why people make the choices they do.

We are only human

It’s ok to make mistakes, we learn by making our own mistakes. We are only human. Taking calculated risks is important to challenge and push us out of our comfort zones. I regularly push myself to move out of my comfort zone. Teaching the internal comms diploma last year was a prime example of that and going for the Chartered Assessment day with CIPR this year is another test for me. My more challenging task is to be kinder to myself when I make mistakes, take time out for myself, to rest and restore my energy and not feel guilty for not doing something work orientated.

So that concludes #my3words. Simple, effective and lasting promises to keep me on track for 2017 and guide my strategy as we head into a year that’s set to be full of surprises and challenges.