[00:00:02] Welcome to the Business Miracles podcast. I'm Heather Dominick, founder of www.businessmiracles.com and author of the book Different The Highly Sensitive Leadership Revolution, found at www.differentthebook.com. Since 2010, I've been training Highly Sensitive Entrepreneurs and Leaders from around the globe to work less while making more impact and income by doing things differently. I'm so glad you joined me. Listen in and get ready. Get ready for a shift in the way you view yourself, your work, your life. A business miracle.
[00:00:40] This is a Course in Business Miracles podcast episode 197 Make Genuine HSP Business Connections. In this podcast episode I discuss what assumption of positive intent is not, as well as what it is, and how it specifically relates to making genuine connections as an HSP in business and leadership. I share how assumption of positive intent gives you access to your HSP strengths and I provide the three keys to follow in order to form meaningful genuine connections and how this leads to more income. Be sure to listen until the end for a short exercise where I support you in discovering a current situation where you can begin to use these three keys to transform your business relationships starting right away. So let's dive in
[00:01:35] Today the topic of making genuine connections with assumption of positive intent. The definition according to executivecoachingnetwork.com, “Assuming positive intent means acting under the assumption that the person with whom you are meeting is trustworthy, that they share your desire for the best possible outcome. Assumption of positive intent gives you access to act as if, act the other person is going to behave in an effective and positive way. Also, assumption of positive intent is the opposite of our HSP shadow of judgment of others. The opposite of the shadow of self-judgment and criticism and diminishes the default into coping mechanisms, pushing, hiding, and combo platter.
Assumption of positive intent can be accessed through five steps. Step one, look for the good. You can do this by noticing kind gestures and interpreting ambiguous actions positively versus negatively. Step two, give others grace. Remember that everyone makes mistakes and extend the same courtesy to others. And step three, question your gut reaction. When frustrated, specifically pause. Write down your initial reaction. Perhaps turn to inquiry. Breathe before you act. Step four, take a breath before approaching someone that you're frustrated with. Reminder, again, change a thought pattern, change a breath pattern, and finally, practice compassionate directness. Communicate with your HSP strength of empathy all to access a deeper understanding. These five steps afford us the opportunity to access assumption of positive intent rather than defaulting to HSP shadows, coping mechanisms, and the HSP trait tendency to absorb the energy of others.
So how does assumption of positive intent then apply to making genuine connections? So first of all, what assumption of positive intent is not. Assumption of positive intent is not subjugating your needs or people pleasing. Assumption of positive intent is not avoiding conflict. An assumption of positive intent is not sympathy over empathy.
What assumption of positive intent is. Permission to own your HSP values and your needs, to speak confidently from your HSP values and needs. And to use your HSP strength of empathy to access both/and. Particularly both my needs and your needs.
How it applies to making genuine connections - business networking, leadership, team communications, friends, family difficult conversations. The genuine connection is more than just exchanging pleasantries or talking about the weather. The genuine connection is an exchange of ideas, emotions, and stories that create a bond between two people. Building such a connection requires mutual trust and understanding as well as vulnerability on both sides. When you build a genuine connection with someone, it can be transformative for both parties involved. Not only does it create a deeper level of understanding, it also allows us to grow and learn more about ourselves through learning more about others. Assumption of positive intent gives you access to your HSP strengths that allows you to form genuine connections by following three keys.
Key number one, ask open-ended questions using your HSP strength of deep thinking. Two, share personal stories using your HSP strength of being excellent with language. Three, give genuine compliments using your HSP strength of empathy.
So now take a moment, place your hand on your heart, maybe close your eyes and bring to mind go the first thing that drops in for you. A situation in your business, maybe marketing, networking, a situation in your leadership, maybe team communications, the situation with friends and family, A difficult conversation that needs to be had. Dial in connecting in with the first thing that drops in for you, business leadership, friends and family. And now mentally begin to apply the three keys. What would it be like to ask open-ended questions? What would it be like to share a personal story and what would it be like to give a genuine compliment?
How might that change the energy - marketing networking team communications, difficult conversations? The untrained HSP waits for others to take the lead. An untrained HSP takes their ability to intuit and be empathetic to match their energy to someone else. A trained HSP an HSP leader takes the lead, uses their HSP strengths to make genuine connections rather than defaulting to chameleon yourself to someone else, to chameleon yourself to mimic someone else's marketing, to wait for someone else in networking to make the first move, to absorb difficulties through team communications or personal difficult conversations and then go elsewhere to process for hours and hours, days and days. The HSP leader asks open-ended questions, shares a personal story, gives a genuine compliment, sets the energy, sets the stage, takes the lead, does it differently? Breath in and let it out. If you haven't already, take a moment to write down the business leadership or friends family situation that came to mind to you.
[00:11:10] Thank you for being a part of this Business Miracles podcast episode and for beginning to dip your toe into the journey of highly sensitive leadership training. If you are ready to truly use your sensitivities as strengths in all parts of your work and life, I invite you to connect for a one on one chat. You will experience being deeply listened to and together we'll get a sense of whether the Highly Sensitive Leadership Training Programs are the best next step for you and your highly sensitive journey at this time. Just go to www.claritycall.com to schedule a conversation. We so look forward to connecting with you. Talk to you soon!
