What one thing?

We met twelve times in 2019 in Olympia, nine times in Seattle, twice in Copenhagen, once each in San Diego, Barcelona, and Reykjavik with related workshops in Houston, Ottawa, Lisbon and Doha! In Olympia we are primarily a gathering of public employees and leaders, with many private sector guests too. In these other cities participants hailed from many sectors, fields, backgrounds, cultures, and experiences.

We explored and practiced many essential human skills - love, trust, kindness, gratitude, resilience, ally-ship, inclusion, empathy, emotional support, courage, and more. It was a year of discovery and confirmation of the universal human need to belong across the globe. This takes different forms and has cultural and linguistic nuances. But we all share a desire for safety, acceptance and significance. We can all take simple steps to increase these experiences for those around us, those in our influence and for ourselves, through self-care and resilience practices.

At the December gathering of A Human Workplace Olympia a couple weeks ago, we spent some time remembering insights about trust, gratitude, empathy, and ally-ship.

At the end, each person chose just one action they will take to make 2020 more human. Here is a sampling:

• Be brave at work, at home, at gatherings

• Create more opportunities for connection

• Find commonality and suspend judgment

• Help share the Make Work More Human movement by recapping each gathering and sharing with my program management team

• Invite someone to attend each gathering with me

• Speak intentionally

• Ask deeper, more thoughtful and engaging questions

• Find daily opportunities for connection as a group

• Be mindful and intentional about listening

• Be more brave to lean into emotions rather than running away

• Be more encouraging and supportive

• Reconnect and create new relationships

• Be grateful for the little things

• Be a better listener

• Ask others, “what are your dreams and hopes for 2020?” instead of asking about goals.

• Embrace change

• Be the walk and talk at work and out for our values.

• Be thoughtful in listening to another person, thoughtful to the other person, thoughtful on what I will say and contribute to the conversation and connection.

• Be more mindful

• Show grace

• Be brave

What a great list for Olympia. What a great list for the world.

What one thing will you do to make 2020 more human?

Happy New Year!