Book Discussion: Finding the moments that stick

We all strive to find the “moment within the moment” (aka, the “popsicle moment”) that has the potential to elevate, shift, and maybe even change us. The Power of Moments focuses on getting moments right. Intentionally creating moments that are memorable and positive. There’s some key elements to the goodies that make us feel alive and that stick for the long haul. Elevation, insight, pride, and connection. If we embrace these elements, we can craft more “popsicle moments” that matter.

Our team dug in and shared a healthy discussion about our work and our lives. Thanks, Kat Prusinski for leading our discussion.

Building Peaks (aka, Popsicle Moments)

Popsicle Moments deliver a magical peak. There is an element of surprise and delight. At Cohere, we know we don’t need to obsess over every detail, we just need to obsess over the right detail. So we don’t always have to be bigger, perfect, and faster. We need to be thoughtful and unexpected.

For example, hosting our residents for donuts and coffee in the park is a great event. But what happens when we bring a few kites?  Now it’s spectacular. That’s worth talking about. That’s delight.

Or what if a resident called to talk about their assessments and during the conversation shared that their husband recently passed. What happens when we acknowledge that pain? Better yet, what if we offer to connect this resident to some clubs and groups so she can get out an socialize…to not feel so alone? And even one step further, what if we sent this resident a handwritten card in the mail to express our condolences for their loss and our joy in connection?

Maximizing Positive Variance

We know that what we celebrate expands…where our attention goes, energy flows. We know the importance of lifting our heads up to see the good stuff. Sure, the criticism is important to help us get better and better. But if all we see is the negatives, we may be missing out on so many important opportunities.

Our team makes a conscious effort to celebrate our wins (and we can always get better). Like when we hosted our new neighbor gathering at Alamar and families lingered for over an hour after the event to continue the conversation, exchange numbers, schedule play dates and more. That’s magic. Or when we received an email from a resident complimenting the kindness and professionalism of our accounting team. That’s like a warm hug.

Building Trust

We talk a lot about two fun and challenging ways to build trust: breaking a sweat and breaking bread. Sharing tough conversations is also important. And these truth-telling conversations must be conducted with empathy and compassion.

What if we challenged ourselves to seek out the truth tellers? What if we invited those who agree – and disagree – with us into the process?

Fresh Eyes

It can be easy to fall into the trap of not changing something because it is “working”. And at the same time, if we don’t take pause, we may be missing opportunities to elevate an experience and/or improve a process. Even a slight shift can provide the delight and relief that residents crave.

What if we took a pause? What if we invited fresh eyes into the process to maybe see things from a different perspective?