Last March, we reached a significant milestone at Innova as we celebrated 20 years of operations. We are immensely grateful for the unwavering support and dedication of our amazing team and customers throughout this incredible journey. Reflecting on the early days of Innova, I recall the numerous challenges we faced. However, through perseverance and the support of our incredible team, we overcame them together.
While one might assume that after 20 years, we would have mastered all aspects of running a business and effective communication, I have come to realize that there is always room for growth. Open communication and embracing diverse ideas align with our core values and vision at Innova. We continuously reinforce the importance of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement, which brings me to this newsletter.
Recently, I came across a thought-provoking episode of Hidden Brain: Work 2.0: The Obstacles You Don’t See. It provided valuable insights that resonated with my experiences over the past few years. I would like to share two quick examples that I believe can improve our communication:
- When addressing comments or statements I don’t understand, I have decided to humbly ask, “Interesting, tell me more…” This approach encourages a deeper understanding and encourages others to share their perspectives.
- When trying to convey my point in a conversation, rather than countering what is being said, I have chosen to restate the statement and humbly ask, “Are you open to hearing other ideas?” This fosters a more open and collaborative environment where multiple viewpoints can be considered.
The pursuit of improving our communication skills and understanding our shared humanity can be a source of wonder, purpose, and meaning in life. I invite each of you to share your own nuggets of wisdom or insights on effective communication.
Let’s continue to embrace new ways of communicating, challenge our assumptions, and foster a culture of inclusivity and collaboration. Together, we can unlock endless possibilities and achieve even greater milestones in the years to come.
PS: In case you are interested, here’s a summary of the episode: Introducing new ideas can be challenging, and many of us tend to believe that the key to winning people over is to exert more force. However, according to organizational psychologist Loran Nordgren, a more effective strategy is to identify and address the hidden barriers that impede the acceptance of new ideas.