Labels play an important role in organising/categorising things and information. However, labelling humans can be problematic. Despite this, we have various labelling systems that we use consciously or unconsciously to categorise people based on various dimensions. For example, we may use visual cues to label individuals by their social status, ethnicity, or place in a hierarchy. We may also label someone’s success based on their job title or education level. When conversing with others, we may even label them as introverted or extroverted, label profiles within DiSC or Myers-Briggs assessment.
Unfortunately, these labels can often hinder our ability to truly understand and connect with others. While we may say we do not judge, in reality, we use labels to make judgments and determine how we will interact with them.
So, how to connect with others on a deeper level?
A better approach may be to learn to use all our senses and intentionally listen to others, including their silence. By doing so, we may discover transformative opportunities that were previously hidden beneath the surface.
