The life-changing jar!
Hello you wonderful readers,
My heart is overwhelmed with joy to share such an impactful tool with people, both near and far—The Jar has truly changed my life and I’m excited for it to change yours as well! Although the jar concepts are basic, they are not typically emphasized. As a result, I (on behalf of Verve) created a tool to bridge this gap and, thus, enhance lives!
The Jar is a communication tool designed to fulfill Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. When put into practice, it creates a sense of security and trust between team members, enhances the feeling of belonging, and focuses heavily on building self-esteem through growing individuals. Meeting these basic needs, in turn, motivates individuals to climb closer and closer to their ultimate need, “self-actualization”—the point they reach their full potential.
Self-actualization, what we refer to as a “best and highest use” at Verve, is a primary focus for several reasons. As Maslow’s studies indicate, self-actualizers are more agile, confident, accepting, autonomous, spontaneous, objective, creative, appreciative, ethical, concerned about others’ well-being, and have an increased ability to build deep, genuine relationships. The closer individuals become to fulfilling this need, the better our team, the better our families, and the better our communities. Win, win, win!
Are you ready for it…
Jar
- “Transparency is a powerful thing.” When we’re transparent, problem-solving is enhanced, team understanding grows, authentic relationships are developed, trust is strengthened, and, consequently, performance improves
- Consideration of others when making decisions and taking action results in kindness. It would be highly unlikely for someone to argue kindness in the workplace (and in the community) isn’t a good thing.
Coin + Ladder
- The Ladder of Inference allows us to be more mindful of our assumptions and reminds us that we cannot believe everything we think (or assume). This story is one I’m sure we can all relate to!
- In many situations, we only have visibility to the impact and we reverse-engineer the intention of the other person by making assumptions. Choosing to “flip the coin” (i.e. believe the best or ask good questions to discover the intent) saves us a lot of heartache and lost productivity.
Bucket
- The bucket serves as a reminder to be cognizant of others’ and our own “invisible bucket.” The bucket represents our self-esteem. Daily experiences and our own “self-talk” either take from our bucket or fill it up.
- Awareness of buckets (i.e. self-esteem), yields positive self-esteem in the workplace. It creates a culture of respectful communication, celebration, and people who are eager to grow.
Goalpost
- Jim Hunter, a wonderful Servant Leader, says that people want to know what is expected of them and what happens if they don’t meet those expectations.
- When you give clear goalposts (a.k.a. expectations), team members are better able to produce the desired results. The requestor gets what they hoped for and, in turn, the team member is appreciated for their efforts.
- The flexibility of goalposts is important to note. At times, it is necessary to have narrow goalposts, meaning that the expectations are very specific. At other times, it is important to give wide goalposts which empowers team members to get the job done in a way that is suited to their natural talents and work style.
Puzzle Piece
- The puzzle piece represents our personal brand. At Verve, a key part of our personal brand is a declaration. This statement is what our team members can count on us for daily. My declaration is: I value individuality; I pride myself in creating genuine relationships to help people celebrate and embrace who they truly are.
- The development of our declarations, and knowing each other’s Top 5 Strengths, creates deeper respect and appreciation for one another. Appreciating the individuality of your team members allows you to leverage their strengths when you work together.
The Jar has become part of our shared language through training and each team member having a Jar on their desk as a daily reminder. Team members regularly use this shared language to hold themselves and others accountable.
As mentioned, the concepts are basic, but they require intentional practice. The Jar was created to help you think differently and form lasting habits. When these concepts become habitual, basic human needs are satisfied inspiring individuals to take the next step toward reaching their full potential. When team members feel safe and appreciated, they produce amazing results for their organization. That’s what we’re all trying to do, right?
Thank you so much for reading!
Ali Fett
