How We Should See Our Multi-Generational Workforce with Carolyn Stern #employeeengagement

10 Nov 2024 · 1 min

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In this segment, the speaker emphasizes that observable behavior and communication are only the visible tip of a much larger, unseen set of internal factors—fears, motivators, stressors, assumptions, biases, and aspirations—that shape how people act and speak. Using the iceberg metaphor, she argues that without engaging in deeper, "inner iceberg" conversations, leaders and colleagues miss critical context, leading to misunderstandings. The analogy to the Titanic illustrates how the massive, hidden portion of the iceberg (the underlying emotional and psychological drivers) is what truly determines outcomes, not the small visible part. The speaker calls for recognizing and exploring these hidden layers to improve emotional intelligence and workplace interactions.

Chapters

You are not the standard to which everything is judged. We need to remember, just because I woke up a certain way today doesn't mean that you woke up a certain way. And unfortunately, with emotional intelligence, a lot of that's underneath the surface. What you see is my communications. What you see is my actions. But what you don't see is all the things contributing to my communications and actions— my fears, my motivators, my stressors, my concerns, my assumptions, my aspirations. You know, my biases, all of those things color how I act and talk. And if, unless you're having those deeper, as I call them in the book, inner iceberg conversations, then you're missing the boat. It's like what killed the Titanic was not the little piece of ice above the waterline. What killed that unsinkable ship was the huge piece of ice below the waterline. Well, guess what? People are a lot like that. You just, what you see is just the tip of the iceberg. You don't see See all of the stuff underneath the iceberg.