The Quality of Our Interactions…

by Matt Mattson

Do this quick exercise: Think about the last interpersonal interaction you had.  Using your thumb as an indicator, rate the quality of that interaction.

Thumb straight up indicates that the interaction was of exceptionally high quality — you were pleasantly surprised, it was powerful in some way, you learned something important, it was impressive, interesting, emotional, thought-provoking.  You walked away saying, “Wow, that was really something.”

Thumb straight down indicates that the interaction was dull, regular, average, “in the middle,” boring, ordinary, flat, or downright bad.  You walked away saying, well, nothing, because the interaction had hardly any impact on your life.

Use your thumb as a an indicator and lock in your rating now — feel free to put it somewhere in the space between straight up or down.

How would the people you interacted with rate you?  Thumbs up?  Thumbs down?  Somewhere in the average middle?  Social Excellence is about… EXCELLENCE (not average).  Social Excellence is found in the quality of our every day interactions.  Social Excellence challenges us to create “thumbs up” experiences.

The quality of your interactions determines the quality of your day, your reputation, and your life.

For organizational leaders, there is something else to consider after this exercise…

The quality of your members’ interactions determines the quality of your organization.

Want to have a high quality organization that impresses people and that has a reputation for excellence?  Focus on the small, momentary, interpersonal interactions your members have with others.  Organizations only exist in the space between members and their interactions with others.  That space is filled with our interpersonal interactions, our behaviors, our choices, our words, our actions. The quality of those cumulative interactions, then, determines the quality of our organization.

What if you had someone following you around all the time using their thumb as a scale to rate the quality of your interactions with others?  Are you giving “thumbs up” experiences to others?  Social Excellence, when chosen as a lifestyle, gives you the power to create “thumbs up” experiences for everyone you interact with.  You can choose to “Be The Person” who has surprisingly high quality interactions all the time.