The Spaces We Create

 

Reflecting on leadership, empathy, compassion, and kindness this morning… What kinds of spaces do we create where relationships — authentic, caring, empathetic, and loving relationships — are nurtured to support everyone’s growth and learning process?

At what level — or how often — do we use our powers of empathy, imagination, creativity, and community to re-imagine those spaces and how we engage with one another in those spaces? If we find these spaces to not be authentically and powerfully nurturing, what blocks us from changing those spaces?

I am also thinking about purpose — the purpose of the spaces we create… Are we there to develop each other as fellow humans or do we see each other as numbers and data points? There is a difference and our answer impacts the choices we make regarding what we do in those spaces. Our answer impacts the policies we create, the educational programming we create, the organizational structures we design, the language we use, etc.  Are we creating “human-centered” spaces?

And yes, as my friend Chris Lehmann recently asked — are our schools (or work environments) places where we can easily say “I love you” to one another?

I am reflecting on connections between how we do “relationships” in those environments and how we exist in relationship with family and friends in other environments. I’m just thinking about those similarities and differences and the impact of those relationship interactions that enable others to feel safe, unconditionally loved, and supported in a way that contributes to continued growth, self-esteem, confidence, etc.

Each of us has the power to lead culture through the nature of our daily one-on-one interactions with other people in all of the spaces we share together. Ask yourself how you can be more empathic, kind, and caring with another person today… How you can listen more and really hear their experience or their emotions absent of your own experiences or emotions or values, be less judgmental, seek to understand — to just simply understand but not for the purpose of giving advice, just “be” with a person — provide presence and a warm smile… a hug, a laugh, an authentic “I hear you,” “I love you,” “I understand”…

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

I am always a “work in progress” and am continuing to work on all of this daily…