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I remember the when I first heard that question in a Foundations workshop from Bob Dunham at the Institute for Generative Leadership. I had an immediate, almost trained response, family, health, financial security, etc. Encouraged to probe deeper, what I became aware of was that I was surprisingly unclear and disconnected from this question. What do I care about? Really care about? And how am I taking action towards taking care of it? I left that conference with this question of care niggling at me, nudging me to really get in touch with what matters most to me and to begin to do something about it.
I’m still percolating on this question daily, which has profoundly changed my perspective and often my mood. Being in this question of care, I begin to feel and experience things differently. I become curious about what else is possible. By digging deep to consider what really matters to me, where I want to spend my time and energy becomes very clear.
The question of care takes me in a totally different direction with how I plan and navigate my work. It influences how I make commitments to others. “What do I care about” insists that I connect on a deeper level with who I am, what matters to me and where do I want to have an impact in the world? The answers to this need time and reflection to tap into my inner wisdom and voice that’s not often listened to or heard at all.
If I’m feeling bogged down and heavy by the list of things to do at work, meetings to attend, I recognize I am disconnected from my care. This awareness is a trigger for me to pause, to breathe and reconsider what is in front of me. Awareness puts me in a place of choice.
I can choose to grumble along through my day, this in fact a choice. Or I can choose to pivot in a new direction. I can take a few breaths or go for a brisk walk, even around the building. For me, getting in conversation with someone who is motivated and listening to what they are doing energizes and inspires me. The flip side of this is moving away from conversations that bring me down, complainers and blamers. I know that being around those conversations will not serve me well. Instead what I need to do is reconnect with my more vibrant energy so I choose who I want to be around.
When I’ve activated my own positive energy I can refocus on the question of care. For me, I care deeply about creating space and opportunity to help people live more vibrantly and to have a heightened capacity to lead and influence others. When I place my energy and focus on this care and connect to my emotions that come from this care, I feel an aliveness to get into action. My care becomes my driver and brings a whole different energy to my work. I literally feel the surge of energy in my body. Let’s face it, staring down at a list of things to do without a seeing and connecting to a bigger vision is depleting. It becomes simply work, hard work. Connecting to care is aligning our actions with our deep desire to make a difference in the world.
What if we asked this in our teams at the start of projects and meetings? Usually we start with what do we need to do, who is going to do it and how fast can we get it done. It’s all about doing and we frequently don’t connect to the deeper reason we are doing this work. We get so caught in the cycle of accomplishment we miss talking about why it matters, why we are doing it or if we should be doing it at all.
At your next meeting, try asking your team “what do you care about”? You might be surprised by what comes up and what new possibilities arise. I believe commitment and engagement come from here. I also think innovation lives here, in being in conversation with others about care, about doing things that matter. Allow yourself to be open to the new learning and direction that can come from these conversations.
When we are given space to connect to and take steps toward what we care about, we are moving in action on purpose, with vision and intention. Imagine what it feels like to when your whole self is aligned and connected to taking action towards what you care about. Imagine the ripple this could have across your team, organizations, family and the people you serve. Imagine the possibilities when we are moving and connected to our care. Imagine.
Originally published on LinkedIn Pulse https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-do-you-care-amy-hunter-acc-mscn
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