The Gift of Illuminators
The Gift of Illuminators
Posted On: Wednesday, July 24, 2024
The power of light enables us to see in the dark. However there’s a human power called illuminators that shine their light on others often changing how others see themselves.
Writer, commentator, and New York Times columnist David Brooks identifies illuminators with a variety of skills. They include, among others, being curious, having attentive listening skills, asking relevant questions, and caring about others.
He discusses the impact of illuminators in his recent book How To Know A Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen.
Brooks tells a story about Harry Nyquist, a physicist and electronic engineer, who worked for decades at Bell Labs. The Bell Labs patent lawyers had a problem. They didn’t understand why some employees were much more productive than others. Eventually the patent lawyers noticed that the most productive researchers routinely had breakfast or lunch with Harry Nyquist.
Nyquist was an illuminator. He listened as the researchers talked about their ideas, work, and challenges. He asked questions and brought out the best in them which was why the researchers were so productive.
The point isn’t that everyone should or can operate like Nyquist but behaving more like an illuminator has benefits. Consider how motivated and engaged the researchers were after talking to him. The gift of attention involves how people feel seen, heard and understood.
Illuminators support and sense how they might help in service of what’s needed. They aren’t just in the workplace or every field, they’re also parents, partners, and individuals using skills they’ve learned and supporting others.
Brooks reminds us that: if we want “to see a stellar example of how to illuminate people, go back and look at how Mister Rogers used to interact with children.” Harry Nyquist received a series of awards and medals for contributions to engineering and also took time to support researchers not reporting to him. Illuminators have a lot to teach us and we need more of them.
Here’s a book review of the book, How To Know A Person
Gael O’Brien is a catalyst for leaders leading with purpose and impact. She is an executive coach with a corporate and public affairs background. Gael is President of Strategic Opportunities Group.
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We recently had Gael O’Brien speak to us at the Network of Enterprising Women and she gave an outstanding talk on ethics in the workplace and how we might meet it head on. I highly recommend listening to her or inviting her to speak at your venue.