User story:
Approximately a month into the Mygrow journey, we started setting aside time on a Friday to check-in with one another. This was a time where we wouldn’t ‘talk work’, we just connected as humans. We shared our highs and lows from the week and also discussed and reflected on our Mygrow techniques and how the journey was going. It has become a shared language and shared journey for us as a team.
Over time I have seen the interactions within the team change. How we understand each other and how we relate to each other. Our team is very diverse with many different personalities, ways of working and seeing things. As a result of Mygrow and our weekly connection points we have all grown in our desire to understand each other, we have gelled together well, and we have learned to accept one another. In fact, we have taken it further and learnt to not only accept our team but even learn from and embrace each individual too.
Another benefit of being on Mygrow together as a team has been that we have encouraged each other when the techniques have been difficult or when someone has lacked motivation. We have helped each other to lean into the discomfort when the journey has been tough. Development can sometimes be hard and it has helped so much to have fellow travellers in this process. For example, the first technique is called Three Good Things and when team members battled to think of things, we would encourage and remind each other of the good things they could reflect on using the technique.
On a personal note, the two modules and techniques that I found very helpful were Self-perception and Self-Awareness. The first technique required me to list my values as a person. Even though I grew up in a good home with morals and Christian values, I had never really expressed or vocalised my own values in this way. It was so good to think about the fact that I value kindness, taking responsibility and a few other things and it impacted the way that I would see my life and my interactions with others.
The second technique that I found helpful is Signature Strengths. This involves recognising and affirming your personal strengths. I have always known that I am very analytical and approach things always looking at the data and the numbers and it has been really great to see how I can use my strength of analytical thinking in other contexts too. I started thinking about different ways in which I could use my strengths.
“EQ development is needed in any work space.”
I have appreciated being able to share the things that I have learnt not only with my team but also with my boyfriend. The skills I have learned and shared have brought us closer together. Mygrow gives you connection ‘tools’ and I found they have been great in connecting with my boyfriend’s kids who are eight and five years old.
My last reflections are that EQ development is needed in any work space. I have worked with numbers and data and analytics my whole career, but numbers mean nothing if you cannot use and translate them well. By this I mean that you have to understand yourself, you have to understand your audience and then you need to convey a message. These all involve working with and understanding yourself and other people, which is the foundation of EQ.
If you start this journey, you won’t regret it. You need to WANT to work on your own development and lean into the journey even when it’s uncomfortable. And keep in mind that the modules that you find difficult are most likely the ones that you need the most, and if you can, share your journey with your team or those in your life.