The 3 Magical Words That Can Create Immediate Alignment.
One of my co-founders Jeff Hamaoui is a profound teacher, and I’ve been a fortunate student of his (Like Eddie who was profiled yesterday, Jeff was in our first MEA beta cohort the first week of January 2019). He’s a deep listener and a world-class facilitator.
He could mediate any geopolitical conflict better than the average Secretary of State, but my sense is he’d rather live in Baja than DC as the waves are so much better here.
A gift he’s given me is these 3 words: “How might we….?” When we’re at an impasse around a topic or there’s a sense that there’s limited alignment, just posing a question that starts with these 3 words reminds us that we have the capacity to find common ground. It also helps to clarify what we’re solving. Here are a few examples:
- How might we continue to grow MEA while also preserving our personal lives as partners?
- How might we collaborate better while not slowing our ability to make decisions nimbly?
- How might we express our feelings more ably in real-time, so they don’t fester?
We can learn so much from those around us, especially those who are the most different from us. Jeff is a master teacher for me, especially when it comes to listening more and loosening my grip on my tightly-held opinions.
Thanks, Jeff!
