The Power of Uncommon Conversations for Team Performance

We've had a short break from producing The Jasper Blueprint podcasts, but are excited to jump back in and start sharing with you our thought provoking conversations with fascinating people.

I'm pleased to share with you, my conversation with Paul Crick , Founder of The Elevate Partnership. Paul is a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 and Times 250 corporations, public sector institutions, and voluntary organisations.?

Supporting and equipping leaders is something both Paul and I take seriously so it was great to take the time to chat with him more in depth.

Unlocking the true potential of leaders, teams, and organisations, is a worthy pursuit… equal parts inspiring and hard work!

Driven by a profound belief in authenticity and self-investment, Paul guides his clients towards embracing their unique identity and purpose, empowering them to make a meaningful impact on the world.??

If you're keen to jump straight into this week's Jasper Blueprint podcast you can watch it here, or if you prefer to listen scroll to the bottom of this page.

Paul shared the importance of fostering "uncommon conversations" to drive team performance. He emphasised the critical role of language and intentional communication in shaping human interactions and enhancing team dynamics. Language shapes how we interact with each other, how we create meaning and understanding or share ideas.

When it comes to enhancing team dynamics, Paul highlighted the significance of creating a safe environment for feedback and the transformative impact of understanding one’s internal assumptions and behaviours .

To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom. - Socrates

During our conversation we explored both individual and collective leadership behaviours, and Paul shared some of his valuable tools and techniques for assessing and improving leadership qualities.

Perception was a key element that came up around leadership feedback, exploring how the team sees you as a leader and how you see yourself. Often there is a disconnect between these pieces of feedback and your identity. Using tools such as the 360-degree assessment help you to gain the data on perception. But Paul also highlighted it doesn't matter which tools you use but what conversations it sparks.

Leadership involves being comfortable with the parts of yourself that aren't pretty! Knowing yourself and having the courage to voice those not so pretty parts is what brings great richness to leadership.

As a leader we can become limited by our self perception, when we do not make the time to ask for feedback and then reflect on our Identity. We need to embrace curiosity, open mindedness and playfulness as leaders.

When we engage in uncommon conversations, it encourages us to try and understand each others context or experiences better, and then allows us to find commonality. When we embrace this as a team there is possibility for immense growth.

You can listen to my conversation with Paul Crick here on Linkedin or your podcast app.

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