Last week, the NimbleUser team had a training given by Laurie Sudbrink of Unlimited Coaching Solutions. The training was centered around The Four Agreements, a book written by Don Miguel Ruiz.
The Four Agreements focuses on intent and the idea that intent guides us. Thinking about the reasons why we do what we do, becoming aware of our intent, enables us to interact with one another in a more truthful and effective manner. Why is intent important? Because intent greatly influences workplace culture. The Four Agreements help to guide our intent and create awareness around our communications with one another.
The Four Agreements focuses on intent and the idea that intent guides us. Thinking about the reasons why we do what we do, becoming aware of our intent, enables us to interact with one another in a more truthful and effective manner. Why is intent important? Because intent greatly influences workplace culture. The Four Agreements help to guide our intent and create awareness around our communications with one another.
The Four Agreements are:
- Be impeccable with your word. Speaking with integrity and not using your words to do harm to yourself or others (gossip, rumors, etc).
- Don’t make assumptions. Always asking for clarification and ensuring you are clearly communicating with others. Assumptions lead to misunderstandings that can leave us frustrated and unhappy.
- Don’t take anything personally. Realizing that the things that other people say or do to you are the result of their own reality and past experiences, not anything you have done. It isn’t always about you. (This one is pretty difficult!)
- Always do your best. Understanding that your best is different from time to time, depending on your situation, but as long as you are doing all that you can in that moment, you will be free from negative thoughts or feelings about yourself.
Armed with this knowledge, the staff split up into five groups and talked about how we can apply The Four Agreements to our work at NimbleUser. The teams came up with many excellent points and ideas and had the opportunity to share them with the whole group. Everyone left with mini books that summarized these agreements for when they need a little reminder. It was a great learning experience with concepts that can be tied to many of our core values.
