I love 2nd Gear. You know, those deep conversations and interactions that leave you “feeling connected”? Quality Time is my top love language! Connecting with my spouse, my children, my coworkers and friends is important to me. Problem is, Gear 2 can be hard to get into.
2nd Gear in a 4th Gear Culture
Have you noticed that it can take a lot of work to get to Gear 2? The majority of my life takes place in Gear 4 (work and multitasking); my natural gear order usually dictates that logistics first, connection second. I’ve found that I’ve had to be intentional making it happen.
Here are some of my favorite activities that help me connect in Gear 2:
- Scheduling date nights with Mike
- Taking an extra 15 minutes with a teammate to connect
- Volunteering for carpool to spend time with the teenagers
I’ve found that Gear 2 is especially important in how we help our families.
Gear 2 in the Home
Connecting with our clients is essential to making the sale. We start off in Gear 3 building rapport and then shift to Gear 2 when we start to dig in on their WHY. I can usually tell when a connection is lost. It’s a split second on an emotional level – it took me many years to learn to pay attention to the cues, but I can usually pinpoint the exact moment a connection is lost. Oftentimes, it’s the way something is said or what is presented that causes the disconnection.
If a disconnection occurs, shift up into 3rd gear until you feel the trust level is high enough to downshift back into Gear 2.
Using the Gears intentionally adds productivity, flow, and connection to our lives. Stay tuned for more next week!
Until then,
