Adults typically approach babies with what the kids can learn from them. Yet there’s a lot that can be learned from babies about happy and impactful work relationships and success. Here’s a few I’ve gleaned.
Communicating Your Needs Makes Everybody Feel Good: One of the most important elements I want to know from my team is their needs. Adult ego or fear of being a burden many times limits us from expressing need. Babies have no issue with this. They clearly tell us through the language of a cry that they need some help. I doubt you’d find many family members that aren’t happy to respond to that cry and help. And how does that make the family member feel? Good, not bad. When a member of a team expresses need it allows the community to help and everybody feels good about that, and, the problem is solved. Imagine what would happen to a child if you did not respond to their cry? Communicating need allows for team success and happiness.
A Smile or Laugh Transforms: No matter how your day is going, a baby’s smile, giggle or laugh can turn it all around. Notice those people in your office that light up a room with an authentic (not fake) smile or a healthy (not sarcastic) laugh. How do they make you feel? How do you make others feel when you do the same? Without question, teams that laugh and smile together in healthy ways make the workplace a great place.
Play Energizes: Work comes easy for me. Always has because I love my work and love meeting challenges. That being said, babies show us that play, letting loose and acting silly, can have a profound effect on your energy as well as your creativity and productivity. A playful mind and a playful body unlocks tired or stiff energy and unleashes fresh thoughts and vigor. Ever gotten bored with a project and then just decided to have fun with it. What a transformation. A few minutes of playtime with a child reminds us to keep it playful at work as well.
Galvanize Community: I used to think that infants lacked power. Then I realized how they galvanize community. Have you experienced how an eight pound being can mobilize the forces of many adults towards a common vision: the care, wellbeing and development of the child? Babies know how to make the most mundane work (diapers, feedings, etc…) joyous or at least motivating for the community that’s caring for them. They understand that people love to do something of value, even when it can have its unpleasant moments. And people love to do most anything where there’s love involved.
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