Technique: the birthplace of rhythm
The not-so-sexy element of rhythm
In a recent interview I did on Shane Hatton's show Phone Calls with Clever People, we honed in on the Technical pillar of Rhythm, which I discuss in The Rhythm Effect. I jokingly talked about this as the 'poor cousin' or 'unsexy bit' of rhythm. We laughed, but I am deadly serious about it. In fact, I am obsessed with the Technical Skills in the framework of rhythm.
When people think of rhythm they often envisage dancers gracing a floor with precision and elegance, or elite sporting people that seem to slow time and move with a silkiness and smoothness. It can be damned sexy to watch and admire! But, what's behind this beauty? The answer is Technique. Alone, technique does not create rhythm, but without it, rhythm is not possible. And, in our daily work we all have our version of what rhythm looks like and the techniques we need to master for us to find rhythm for ourselves.
Alone, technique does not create rhythm, but without it,
rhythm is not possible.
It is a part of the framework I am obsessed about. Particularly for people in leadership skills. We are often drained by constant meetings, team members not hitting deadlines, and occasional mistakes. So my question is....
Do you have high quality effective conversation technique?
Do you have a rinse-and-repeat effective meeting process?
Do you have a effective feedback mechanism?
These are three examples from the Communicating section of the Universal Technical Tool Box for leaders in The Rhythm Effect. And, they are examples of techniques we spend too little resource on. In my opinion, so little time and energy is spent on learning, honing, and mastering such techniques that the possibility of high-performance or psychologically safe workplaces is undermined.
Some may call this 'going back to basics'. But, I feel that any Technical Skill in leadership has many layers and the mastery of such skills is anything but basic. If we want to bring 'sexy-back' into the way we move and shake in our leadership positions, then I feel we need to honour the techniques we need to improve on and get to work on them.
