It’s fairly easy to memorise an action. We have lots of people in our organisations who do things because that’s the way we do things. We can call this doing things by rote or by heart or we can call it robotic. However, we know it when we see it or interact with it.

Contrast that with someone doing the same or similar task who understands the ‘why’, understands how her or his task fits into the whole. Contrast that with someone who does her job ‘with heart’. The difference is profound. And again, we know it when we see it or interact with it.

One trick is hiring the right people. People with heart. However organisations change, so do people. When we lead change, we need to figure out ways to connect the change or new reality with the heart. Both our heart and the hearts of the teams we lead. Connecting their work to a bigger ‘why’ is a good place to start. And stories still are the most effective.

It may take a few tries to connect, but when you do it’s worth the effort.

(H/T Bernadette)

Photo by Nong Vang