One could have felt daunted surrounded by the company of such highly successful and driven individuals.\u00a0 Fortunately, however, I did not.\u00a0 This may have been partly because my companions did not look intimidating, the relaxed dress code calling for shorts and t-shirts.\u00a0 The service project aspect of the trip certainly helped too; standing shoulder-to-shoulder, covered in sweat and paint, alongside an individual is a sure way to create a level playing field.\u00a0 It was also due to my philosophy of treating and valuing people equally, no matter who they are or what they do, and thus my motives, or lack thereof, behind my interaction with the other attendees.<\/p>\n
This brings me to one of the beauties of this trip.\u00a0 One of the key ethos at Corporate Alliance,<\/em> and one I have always strived to follow, is to avoid relationship arrogance<\/strong>.\u00a0 This is such a powerful and worthwhile concept to me, I want to share it with you.\u00a0 Relationship arrogance is to have ulterior motives in relationship development.\u00a0 It is prioritizing relationships based on a forecasted return on investment, i.e., figuring out whom we perceive to be the most beneficial people to interact with, and pursuing those relationships.\u00a0 Relationship arrogance is to dismiss those who we do not consider worthwhile to us.\u00a0 This can happen in business, but just as easily when interacting with others on a social level too e.g. other parents at your child’s school, adults in clubs\/groups, those who serve us at restaurants, sit next to us on public transport, etc.\u00a0 Is judging or preconceiving relationships\u00a0something you do?<\/p>\n To avoid relationship arrogance is to treat everyone with respect and as someone who is important.\u00a0 I believe that when we interact with people they can feel if we have an ulterior motive.\u00a0 It is more real to interact with people on the pure basis of kindness, friendship, and common human decency.\u00a0 It feels good to both parties.\u00a0 In the\u00a0book City of Influence: A Business Tale<\/a>, <\/em>written by Corporate Alliance<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>founders Jared & Sarah Stewart,<\/em>\u00a0they\u00a0share\u00a0\u201c<\/em>The way you judge people affects your ability to build a relationship with them,\u00a0and it\u2019s arrogant to make assumptions before having any meaningful interaction.\u201d\u00a0 If you make your interactions genuine and with good intent, you will be surprised where it takes you.\u00a0 You can often find help and support from the least expected of people.<\/p>\n Another important takeaway is\u00a0developing relationships \u2018just because\u2019<\/strong>– also a\u00a0core value of the Corporate Alliance<\/em> organization. \u00a0<\/strong>The President of Corporate Alliance\u2019s Salt Lake City hub, Katie Holland, shared a wonderful story with us, which demonstrated relationships \u2018just because\u2019.\u00a0 The story is based on author Kent Nerburn\u2019s experience as a cab driver, and a particularly special journey taking an elderly woman to hospice.\u00a0 It is a touching tale and reminds me to be gracious and giving to all whom I come across.\u00a0 Read it here: http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/kent-nerburn\/cab-ride_b_1474147.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n As the trip progressed, I heard other stories and pieces of advice from my companions that I thought were worth noting.\u00a0 One of these was to be present in the moment<\/strong>. \u00a0In today\u2019s society, I feel this is ever more important.\u00a0 There are so many distractions, one can be sucked away from real face-to-face interactions, into virtual\/electronic worlds (social media, gamming, TV, etc.).\u00a0 We can forget the importance of those around us.\u00a0 Being on the receiving end of this can make you feel invisible and worthless.\u00a0 There have been some great impactful short videos recently to remind us to \u2018disconnect to connect\u2019 and ‘look up’ (I urge you to watch them here<\/a>\u00a0and here<\/a>).<\/p>\n I remember as a child my mum insisted if we wanted to speak to her that we stop what we were doing, and come to talk to her face-to-face; we were never allowed to shout to\u00a0her from elsewhere in the house.\u00a0 I am glad she did this, it shows respect, and that we find the other person important.\u00a0 During the Corporate Alliance<\/em> trip partners\u00a0working both within and outside of the home, shared with me that they remind themselves of the importance of being present with each other and with their children and loved ones.\u00a0 They leave work at the door or leave chores until later, and fully engage with each other.\u00a0 I personally know it feels so great to be on the receiving end when someone gives you his or her full attention, so this is something I strive to give too.<\/p>\n This leads me on to another perspective shared, that multitasking is overrated<\/strong>.\u00a0 Often the ability to get several things done at once is considered a positive trait.\u00a0 Women are said to be better multi-taskers.\u00a0 Parents often rely on it to get everything done that they need to do during the day.\u00a0 However, when multitasking, are we doing everything to the best of our ability?\u00a0 On the trip, one CEO shared with us that he asks potential employees if they are good at multitasking, and if they say \u201cyes,\u201d then they might not find themselves employed by his company.\u00a0 He shared an example of someone who tries to write the alphabet and a sequence of numbers 1-26.\u00a0 If we do this separately, we could do it quickly; however, if we tried doing both tasks and alternating between one letter and one number, it would slow us down considerably.<\/p>\n I also read a book recently called Rewired <\/a>by<\/em> Camille Preston <\/em><\/a>(which I would highly recommend).\u00a0 <\/em>In her book, she discusses the downside of multitasking and loss of productivity.\u00a0 I concur personally with her words, that when we start a task and another sidetracks us, the interruptions can cause a significant delay in getting back to being fully productive in the original task.\u00a0 She shares the results of a survey, which shows how multitasking costs the economy billions of dollars a year. \u00a0Having the diminished performance and loss of focus in multitasking pointed out\u00a0to me, it has changed my original notion of it being a positive skill.\u00a0 Preston advocates being present in the moment and recommends that we are mindful, that we \u2018unitask\u2019, and focus on one thing at a time.<\/p>\n The final pearl of wisdom that I want to share is aligning your principles (beliefs) and actions (behavior).\u00a0 <\/strong>A friend I met on the trip shared this concept with me and that you could consider it in a venn diagram (which I love being a Econ\/Math major).\u00a0 On the one side you have your beliefs and on the other your behaviors.\u00a0 When these overlap and we act according to our principles, then there is unity, we are in balance\/compliance and experience joy.\u00a0 However, when our behavior falls outside our beliefs, there is not.<\/p>\n
![\"Venn](\"https:\/\/lydiakluge.com\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Venn-Diag.png\")
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