#CJP Insights
The tale of micro-affirmations
Think of a time when you felt welcome, valued, and supported during a transition, challenging task or new environment, say the current Covid19 situation when a lot of people are working from home, devoid of human interaction, under tremendous pressure to save their jobs.
Imagine you making the following statements to your team members
I am glad you are here
I value you
I appreciate your differences
I believe in your potential
I want to support you. What else can I do in this regard?
Micro-Affirmations are “Small acts … fostering inclusion, listening, comfort, and support for people who may feel unwelcome in an environment” (Rowe, 2008) [1]
Strategic micro-affirmations help to create a culture of excellence as the potential, strengths and value of individuals in a diverse group are recognised.
Acknowledgement, accommodation and advocacy are the lynchpins of Strategic micro-affirmations
What was the last time you reached out to the personal stories and goals of your team members?
In comparison, subtle verbal and nonverbal cues that an individual or group is unwelcome, invisible, or incapable of performing well go a long way in corroding relationships.
Imagine a boss pulling up a junior for fiddling with his cell phone during a Zoom meeting. Turns out that there was an important email that he was replying to
Think of your team member being very enthusiastic about a Competition Insights report he prepared asks you whether you liked it. And you reply with a dismissive “Oh! I haven’t had the time to read that mail”. Maybe it was unintentional. Maybe you genuinely were busy elsewhere and didn’t have the time to see the email. But
Micro-affirmations can be transformational.
What would be your strategy in this regard?
Regards
Sonia
References
Rowe, M. 2008. Micro-affirmations and micro-inequities. Journal of the International Ombudsman Association, 1(1), 45–48.