The experience of being a grandparent is everything I thought it would be and more! My wife and I just finished a three-day “grandparents camp” with our little granddaughter and we had such a good time together. Our little bundle of joy has really made an impact on my life. She has changed me a lot.
However, there has been one change I did not expect.
My brother, who beat me to the grandparenting experience by about 18 months, kept telling me it was going to be the best experience of my life. He would send me videos of himself and his grandson playing on the floor together or reading stories. While there was a sense of joy, I have to admit it didn’t look like that much fun to me. I have not rolled on the ground with kids for a long time. Where was the intellectual stimulation going to come from?
How Wrong Can One Man Be
I was 100% wrong! I had no idea what I was talking about. My little granddaughter has totally changed my approach to life.
The most profound effect she’s had on me is the revelation that I need to continue to work on my listening skills. Here is an example:
“Grandpa let's take Carlos (my dog) for a walk.”
“Ok, let me finish the article I am working on and we will go.”
“Yeah, But Carlos needs to go for a walk.”
Or Consider,
“Grandma, I want a snack.”
“Sweetie we will eat lunch pretty soon.”
“Yeah, But I want a snack.”
Many times when change is not going our way, we as humans do not want to go deeper into the reason why. Since change brings on so much emotion, it is important for us to step back and realize the problem we are having with change could be that we are trying to use logic with an emotional issue.
For my wife and I, being grandparents means that we have had about 6 years since our youngest son left our home and our little grandbaby entered our world. When Greg left home he departed as an adult. We could have very adult-like, seemingly logical discussions with him.
What seems so obvious to me now never occurred to me in the moment. Why wouldn’t telling my granddaughter that we would have lunch pretty soon be good enough for her? Surely she has experienced lunch before and knows her hunger will be satiated when she finishes her meal. I mean by now she has probably had over 700 lunches in her life, surely that is enough repetition for her to know what lunch means…
Yeah, But...
I have experienced the case of “Yeah, But” in my coaching practice as well. I will be working with a client who knows they need to change a behavior, such as:
Becoming more assertive in meetings
Having more empathy for those they lead
Taking deep breaths and relaxing
Celebrating the success of others
Having more empathy for those they lead (It was worth listing it twice!)
As I work with them on these, and many other skills, I can often sense a,
Yeah, But...
It is there. It is not always obvious. Maybe not even articulated. But, as I sense the resistance from my client I can feel like I am up against a “Yeah, But.”
This is an indicator for me to slow down and try and understand the emotions my client is feeling. Yeah But means there is an emotional hurdle that needs to be jumped, and before I rush on with more logical thought, I need to slow down and help my client climb over the emotional barrier.
When we are working with people experiencing change, speaking logic during these times can be futile. Instead, we, as the leader, need to focus on helping our followers navigate change in a safe and trusting environment. It is during times of confidence and protection that Yeah But can be satisfied and the learning can resume.
Even if that learning means having a snack right before lunch.