EP21: The (Birthday) Gifts of Intimacy

“How do our gifts match up with the needs of the world?” On this solo episode of Expansive Intimacy, Jim is celebrating his birthday with gifts – not the kind that you unwrap but the natural abilities, skills, passions that we all possess inside of us, but are not always given the opportunity to fully express or utilize. When we are given that chance, everyone wins. We light up inside while meeting a unique need in the world and creating real change. Jim surmises that organizational leaders, with the impact they have on the world, are in the unique position to foster their employees’ gifts. In so doing, they make work easy and joyful for workers, increase company value (including but not limited to the bottom line), and keep customers coming back. 

 

Company leaders can also offer their employees the gift of intimacy. Jim recalls a story shared by recent guest Liz Solomon about an employee who discovered a newfound and fierce loyalty to her longtime CEO after he opened up a vulnerable part of himself to her during a group exercise. Jim discusses the need for reciprocity in intimacy, as well as the type of physical intimacy that is perfectly appropriate at the workplace. 

 

This episode provides a number of valuable questions which organizational leaders can ask to discover their employees greatest strengths and passions. After all, a company whose workers are performing their best work is a gift to the world. 

Quotes:

• “Organizational leadership is one of the fundamental places where the world changes these days…leaders have a huge, I would argue maybe even an outsize role.” (2:58 | Jim)
• “Keeping your people happy, healthy, and engaged in their gifts, is the path to bottom line success, as well as lots of other types of success.” (5:17 | Jim) 
• “If you're a leader, and you've got a creative person on your team, are you utilizing their gifts? Are they pigeon-holed into the creative things that they're allowed to do?...what about the other ways that that person's gifts could help your organization?” (8:20 | Jim)
• “Our gifts are often hiding in plain sight. And when we unlock them with intimacy - with that skeleton key of expansive intimacy, we create possibilities that we didn't know were there.” (13:17 | Jim) 
• “Intimacy is not one dimensional. I don't even know how many dimensions there are. And I've been studying it for years.” (13:54 | Jim)
  

Show Links

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Podbean | Google Podcasts | Amazon Music

Connect with Jim Young:

Website: www.thecenteredcoach.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/thecenteredcoach

The Men's Expansive Intimacy Project: www.thecenteredcoach.com/expansive-intimacy-project

Expansive Intimacy, the book: https://www.amazon.com/Expansive-Intimacy-Tough-Defeat-Burnout/dp/B0BFTSZ4ZG/

 

If you like what we're talking about on the show, would you consider sharing it with someone important in your life who might also appreciate it?

 

I'd also love it if you would rate, comment, and subscribe to Expansive Intimacy on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

 

The views expressed are that of the individual and do not represent the opinions of any companies past, present or future.

 

Intro Music: Catch It by Coma- Media

Outro Music: Upbeat Funky Retro by QubeSounds

 

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm