“Dogfooding” is a common practice among tech companies. It asks teams to use their own products in order to work out the kinks. Our dogfooding at Topknot asks us to work towards being more aware, balanced, and fulfilled versions of ourselves — what could be better? Building off of our last post, where we opened up about the role awareness played in Daphne’s onboarding, we resolved to set intentions to deepen our use of awareness.
Making your intentions known to others is a key strategy to increase accountability. With that principle in mind, our team wants to share the intentions we have as we work on our own practice of awareness.
brook
Intention: Applying awareness externally while being mindful of making assumptions
In her words: “The power of awareness comes out when you use it to recognize and dig into elements of the world around you. I want to leverage it in that way while checking in with others. I will use phrases like ‘Here’s what I’m seeing…’ or ‘Here’s a story that I am telling myself…’ to check my interpretation of situations and give my collaborators space to correct inaccurate assumptions. This level of curiosity and vulnerability will make me a better teammate.”
Impact on team: Too often teams skip the simple step of just asking the question if everyone is on the same page, and it can be perceived as a problem if people are not. When used properly, awareness-centric check-ins are the ultimate shortcut: the team familiarizes itself with how everyone processes, short circuits misunderstandings, and deviates purposefully when there’s something worth exploring.
Daphne
Intention: Paying attention to needs with an emphasis on maintaining balance
In her words: “I have a very odd tendency towards self deprivation in a lot of ways. I am well practiced at silencing or ignoring my inner voice. I know I should do a better job of tapping into it. It’s just so hard to shake the habit of treating my needs like I would a nagging parent instead of actually listening to them. I have to actively remind myself that it’s ok to walk away from the computer when I’m tired, hungry, or zoned out. This is self care.”
Impact on team: There’s a delicate balance between addressing your own needs and acknowledging that you’re part of a group that has expectations about your time. We work in a system that expects everyone to thrive between 9–5. That’s not always the case, though. Thoughtful communication, clear expectations, and a little bit of give-and-take is required to both move the team forward as a unit and draw upon everyone’s unique strengths.
Claire
Intention: Naming and embracing emotional responses throughout the workday
In her words: “I am still a work in progress. I’ve gotten much better at naming an emotional response, but I am reluctant to do the post mortem on the feeling later even though I know I will grow by noticing patterns. Since it’s not my natural instinct, I’m benefitting from structured check-ins.”
Impact on work: Women, particularly women in leadership, are discouraged from showing their emotions at work. Authority and productivity are at odds with distractions of the heart, many claim. But disrupting damaging common wisdom is inline with not only our beliefs, but our responsibility as women building in service of women. The status quo has failed so many of us and we think it’s time to do something different.
Want to set your own awareness intention? Join us on Topknot.
