Thoughtfulness may be the most valuable trait for any working person. While I wish I had learned that oh-so-many years ago, it’s a fairly recent insight. Perhaps like some of you, it remains a challenge.
First, definitions of “thoughtfulness” from the Oxford American Dictionary:
1. Engaged in or given to meditation.
2. Giving signs of serious thought.
3. Considerate; not haphazard or unfeeling.
Each definition is slightly different from the other, yet all are related. They all reflect a certain deliberateness of communication style, even when the communication is utterly internal. This deliberateness has grown in importance as our world has begun to move ever faster, with a concurrent decrease in kindness, both toward ourselves and each other.
How many times have you thought something like this: “Man, I am such a loser. I didn’t get everything done I was supposed to do today, and now that time is gone. Loser, loser, loser.” You can fill in your own personal reasons for feeling this way. The bottom line: once you label yourself something negative, you have diminished yourself. What a pity. What a waste.
How often have you behaved poorly toward a co-worker, client, or vendor because you haven’t thought through the consequences and implications of your behavior before doing it? This is precisely how most office (and maybe personal) misunderstandings begin. We don’t take the time to consider an alternative to the poor behavior we’re about to display. We diminish ourselves and, in this instance, others as well.
Lack of thoughtfulness is bad for business. Although we are moving at the speed of light these days, it makes sense to take a moment, to take a breath, to stop and think.
And then, perhaps, think again.
