Small Actions that Matter
The seeds of civility blog uses the metaphor of a seed to share insight about small actions that have an enormous impact when you are leading others or developing emerging leaders.
At The Wallace Centers of Iowa, we promote civility as a path to results.
When working toward results in business and politics the language typically used is borrowed from war and strategies of winner take all. This approach may be the cause of the gridlock and lack of progress we often experience in our work and civic lives.
Instead of using metaphors of war we invite you to consider metaphors of nature and growth. Our approach is informed by the lessons we can learn from the historic life of Henry A. Wallace. His love of science and nature was applied to solving the problems of his day. For Henry A. Wallace, it all began with a seed. He recognized that seeds had the power to change the way we thought about farming and feeding ourselves.
Follow along as we:
What Are Small Actions that Matter?
They are the little things we do in our daily life and work that lead to respect for others.
They are also skillfully applied behaviors that lead to positive working relationships and environments. Here is a list to get us started:
- Include Others – When you are in a group, look around and see if there are others that are being left out.
- Speak Up – When things are not fair, call them out. You can learn to speak in a way that people will hear you depending on the situation.
- Listen Well – When someone is talking, listen. Make eye contact, ask questions to understand.
- Notice Little Things – What is going on around you? Take time to take care of little things other people are missing.
- Smile – There seems to be a lot of research about this universal gesture. What do you think, does smiling make a difference?
If you have an idea, let us know by tweeting #smallactionsthatmatter to @seedsofcivility