The 7Cs, as described by Elaine Patterson in her book “Our Humanity@Work” Working with the 7Cs, are our innate human capacities for care, courage, curiosity, compassion, connection, creativity and contemplation. They enable us to be mindful of how we bring our humanity into work and into leadership; they help those of us who may be naturally focused on driving for results, on efficiency and on process to ensure that we do this through our relationships with people and people-centred behaviours. At a time when there is uncertainty as organisations transition to hybrid working, face into restructures and redefine themselves to meet changing consumer demands as a result of the Covid era, your team members need a style of leadership that pairs care and compassion with courage and creativity. To bring these more to the fore in your leadership and management, start by looking back:
Reflecting on 2021
Take 10 minutes to consider your responses to the following questions:
| Reflection Question | |
| Care | What have I truly cared about at work this year?In hindsight, were these the right things? |
| Courage | Where have I needed to show courage this year?On a scale of 1-10, how courageous was I? |
| Curiosity | How have I been curious this year?How did that curiosity add value (or not?) |
| Compassion | Where have I extended compassion to others this year?Where have I shown myself compassion? |
| Connection | When have I felt a deep connection with someone or something at work this year?What effect did that have on me, them or on an outcome? |
| Creativity | Where did I bring creativity into my work this year? |
| Contemplation | Where have I invested time to take stock in my work this year?How have I checked in with myself or others this year and acted on what I have learned? |
Sparking ideas for 2022
Take 10 minutes to consider the following to help you set yourself up for a good 2022 at work:
| Future-Focused Question | |
| Care | How will showing care be important to me in 2022?Where do I need to show care and to whom? |
| Courage | If I was truly courageous in 2022 what could I achieve?Where will it be most important for me to show courage? |
| Curiosity | What am I already curious about in 2022?How do I need to continue to be curious? |
| Compassion | How can I extend my compassion to others in 2022?Where do I currently feel I will most likely need to show myself compassion in 2022? |
| Connection | What connections will bring me joy and/or fulfilment in 2022?What steps can I take now to ensure those connections happen? |
| Creativity | If I am at my most creative in 2022, what is possible for me?What excites me about these possibilities? |
| Contemplation | How might I need to make time for reflection and contemplation in 2022?What do I see as the value of doing so? |
I’ve found the time taken on these questions to be a great investment in enabling my learning as well as giving me motivation and excitement about what is possible in 2022.
People Forward 