Intentional Conversations: The Secret Sauce to Career Wins

You might be feeling like your career is a bit stuck and stagnant.

You're not making much progress and you know something has to change but the thought of adding yet another 'to do' to the list fills you with horror.

Maybe you could just give a little tweak to something you're already doing?

Perhaps it's time to harness the power of intentional dialogue.

Buckle up as we dive into the art of deliberate conversation and show you how it can help you forge fantastic relationships, flex your super-skills, and propel your career to new heights. Oh, and I've got some tips to sprinkle intentionality all over your daily chats with colleagues and collaborators.

First of all, I'm not suggesting you ditch your casual conversations and treat every interaction as some kind of mercenary opportunity to climb a greasy pole. Those casual interactions, funny conversations and shares about the trials and tribulations of life are ultra important and there's no suggestion you should lose them.

But having more intentional conversations here and there can start to move your dials in the right direction and it doesn't mean you have to lose the essence of your interactions.

It's all in the pause

We rush around like headless chickens from meeting to meeting, conversation to conversation and often spend very little time thinking about what's coming up.

Taking a few moments to pause and reflect before you go to speak to someone, whether it's grabbing lunch with a friend, updating a stakeholder on a project or having a one to one with your boss, it's worth pausing to ask yourself one or more of these questions.

Choose what feels appropriate to the situation:

What might be helpful to this person today?

How can I add value through this conversation?

Is there anything I need to share with them about me?

Is there something I want to remember from our last interaction that I'd like to follow up on?

Two ears, one mouth

Having some thoughts about what's important for you to remember in the conversation is one thing. The real up-levelling comes in how well you listen to you co-conversee.

There's nothing quite like feeling listened to and genuinely heard and the gift you can give your interlocutor is your full attention.

Practise listening like a pro, really let your conversation partner speak and ask more questions. It's rare these days that people truly listen to each other. We're all so busy thinking of the next thing to say that we get lost in our own heads and don't focus on the other.

Can you remember what it feels like when you're really listened to?

Give that regard to someone else and see your relationships deepen. See also your understanding of the person change, which in turn creates a virtuous circle of you knowing how you can best help them and perhaps how they might also help you.

Embracing intentional dialogue in your professional life is like finding a hidden warp zone in a video game – it's a game-changer. By focusing on the give and take of each interaction, you'll be well on your way to building an all-star network of allies and advocates. So, put on your cape, adopt a purpose-driven mindset, and get ready to make your conversations truly super-powered!