Back in my corporate days, I built a tool to help team members tell their stories. At the time, there was a lot of change happening and we wanted our teams to create psychological safety.
To achieve that goal - we experimented and landed on: if we can get people to be truly human with each other, they will form connections. If we celebrate them as they share, they will feel safe.
Connection plus safety equals the working environment we were aiming for.
We built a tool and a framework. The ‘tool’ was so simple: it was a piece of paper with boxes on it. We called it a storyboard.
This process shortened the cycle. Instead of finding a connection after years of working together because you both went to boarding school, lost a sibling, or struggled with finding your voice, you can do it in an afternoon.
Try it yourself!
What wasn’t important:
Being a great artist
Having the perfect words
Creating a story that was ‘special’
What was important:
Being authentic
Showing up for yourself and for your colleagues
Not shying away from things that are hard