Authenticity Breeds Connection
I play Wordle every day. It only takes a few minutes and I usually have it done prior to my first meeting at 5am.
It is the thrill of victory...the agony of defeat...and an unexpected way to build connection.
How it Started
I am a self professed "word nerd" with my game of choice being Scrabble. So any word game fad or craze I am up to try. I am also competitive by nature. As my friend Brad Shapiro likes say...."Marce....it's not that you like to win...it's that you hate to lose". Incredibly accurate!
When I first started playing Wordle it was my personal expectation to get it in under three tries. I could stomach four....considered it defeat if it was five and unimaginable that I would get to six or not get it at all. Right?!
I start with a new word every day and I think that I am being very clever and out smarting the app based on what the solutions are throughout the week.
I got this!
I Must Confess...
In the beginning I thought I had it worked out and I had some p-r-e-t-t-y great results. I was regularly posting my "accomplishments" on Facebook and roped a few friends & family into playing along including my team who posts our results in our Slack channel.
Then came the inevitable days where luck was not on my side...just like everyone else in the universe...and it took me...gulp....six tries...and even a couple of times where I didn't make it at all!
My true confession is that on the days where I struggled at six or didn't make it at all I had to swallow my pride and force myself to post the result just like the days when I got it in three or less. I had to fess up to the outcome regardless of victory or defeat.
The Result Was Connection
Even though I knew it to be true...it was yet another good reminder that...
authenticity breeds connection
This is especially true as part of a team or a community. We need to celebrate when we achieve...allow others to support us when we fail....and let as many as we can bask in their accomplishments regardless of how we performed.
In Closing...
I LOVE that my team...my friends...my family and I post their results each day. I am beyond grateful for the banter that ensues and the connection it creates. It is a small bubble of fun to start each day amongst all the other responsibilities and hard work that we face. It reminds us we can all achieve...fail....laugh...and support each other no matter what the outcome. Especially on the days when the results were not what we thought they would be. We can bring our WHOLE selves to work and know others will lift us on our good days and our bad ones too!
Will YOU join us in the daily Wordle challenge?
Leadership Questions of the Week for YOU:
Do YOU have a daily ritual that you share with others?
What is something YOU are good at that you find tough to admit...share or advertise on the days you are not at your best or you fail?
How hard is it for YOU to admit failure and what do YOU think the impact is of those around YOU if YOU are portraying an image of constant success?
How do YOU build connection and share YOUR authenticity with others?
Do YOU agree that by sharing your WHOLE self that it builds stronger connection than always trying to put on a strong...successful front?
Thanks for reading….and remember…YOU make a difference!
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