What’s Old is New Again

Leg warmers.  I remember them from the first time they were in fashion in the early 80’s, and just last week, a young woman wore them to my workshop.  It reminded me of the importance of remembering that what is old, is new again.  With these times of continuous change, you might find yourself continually thinking about doing things in a new way, in a different way.  Don’t forget about the things you used to do, and why they worked when they worked!

For example, I was hired by a client to deliver their training program, already designed by them.  Even the ‘introductions’ exercise was designed.  When I read the description, I thought to myself ‘that is SO 80’s!’  The introductions exercise was the one where participants pair up, interview each other and then introduce each other.  We used to do that regularly in the 80’s and I was sure that people might judge the course as a whole as being out of date, since this exercise was a relic from an earlier time.  I ended up being surprised and very pleased with the results.  The introductions were long and very complimentary ‘I am honoured to introduce you to Jane, a talented accouting manager….’, and of course, we learned a lot more about each person than we would have had they introduced themselves.  There was something else that happened that day.  The exercise was a huge reminder of the importance of taking time to connect interpersonally, to really listen to another person.  In today’s workplace this is a very rare occurrence.  We are stressed, time crunched, and communicate via email.  As a group, we talked about how this ’old’ way of communicating (actually getting up and connecting face to face) is new again…and, in fact, contributes to our personal effectiveness (our results are better, and our relationships are more functional).  The organization also benefits – even though communication takes longer, the results last longer.  The communicators are healthier too, benefiting from the clarity that comes form an acutal dialogue with another person.   

So, the next time you are looking to increase your effectiveness and you are seeking some innovative, new way to do that….remember what you used to do…remember that what is old can be new again…remember that sometimes your new groove is your old groove revisited.