Hakan Akbas’ Post

SYMPATHY OR EMPATHY? 🤗 Sympathy: "Gosh, you must be feeling so _______!" 💗 Empathy: "I can understand how you feel." 🏛️ Co-construction & partnering: "What feelings are emerging for you now? What does that mean for you?" SUSPEND JUDGMENT While sympathy and empathy are natural human traits (mostly), in facilitating another's personal growth it may not be most useful. By presupposing useful assumptions to carry the conversation forward in meaningful ways, we are able to elicit self discovery and aha moments. THE POWER OF CONVERSATION Realization and change happens in the in-between, in the interaction. Instead of using pacifying words of sympathy or empathy, perhapd asking powerful questions may trigger the person to think deeply and break through whatever challenges they face in the moment. Such is the power of conversation. Such is the power of asking good questions! 🎤 What good questions have you asked recently? What good questions have you been on the receiving end? How does that affect the quality of your conversations? #questions #coaching #selfrealization #ahamoment #conversations #inbetween #interactional #sympathy #empathy #coconstruction

Hey everyone, I hope this post finds you all well! I wanted to take a moment to talk about something that I think is really important: 🏴☠️ Learning to value the parts of ourselves that we may not necessarily like or feel confident about. We all have qualities or traits that we may not be proud of, or that we wish we could change. But the truth is, these parts of us make us who we are, and they are just as important as the parts we love and are proud of. 🏴☠️ Think about it – if we were all perfect, we would be boring and one-dimensional. It’s our flaws and imperfections that make us unique, and that give us the opportunity to grow and learn. So, instead of focusing on the things we don’t like about ourselves, let’s try to embrace them and see them as opportunities for differentiating ourselves. 🏴☠️ Let’s celebrate our individuality and recognize that it’s our imperfections that make us human! The next time you find yourself criticizing yourself, take a step back and try to see the positive side of that trait. For example, if you’re not the most organized person, maybe that means you’re more creative and spontaneous. Or if you’re not the best public speaker, maybe that means you’re a better listener and more empathetic. Remember, it’s okay to not be perfect. In fact, it’s better than okay – it’s what makes us special. So let’s all try (It's not easy) to be a little kinder to ourselves, and embrace all parts of who we are. #selflove #embraceyourflaws #personalgrowth #mindset #positivity #humansingularity

In a world that often feels the need to fill every moment with chatter, remember this: Don’t rush to fill the silence. Thoughtful words make the biggest impact when spoken at the right time. As introverts, we possess the unique ability to observe and reflect before speaking. This allows us to craft insights that are not only meaningful but also resonant. Instead of feeling pressured to contribute immediately, take a moment to consider your response. Is this something you ever practice? Over the years I have often just chosen to listen, as I have learnt that people often take some time to get to the real issue that needs solving. By not immediately jumping on I can learn much more about them and discover the best way to respond. Here’s how to make the most of your thoughtful approach at work: Value the pause: Silence can create anticipation and draw attention to your words when you choose to speak. Identify the right moments: Look for opportunities where your insights can add the most value and impact. Speak with intention: When you share your thoughts, ensure they are well-considered and relevant. Your voice will carry more weight. Your thoughtful contributions can shift conversations and inspire change. Trust in the power of your words and let them shine when the moment is right! #IntrovertsAtWork #ThoughtfulLeadership #EffectiveCommunication #WorkplaceSuccess #introvertsuccess #IntrovertStrengths #SpeakWithImpact

I wasn’t able to deliver a good public speech until I learned to manage my emotions and entirely love myself for who I am. 💖 When we are in front of people, whether a small or large audience, emotions like fear or anxiety are triggered in us, and it leads to freezing, loss of ideas and words, loss of smile and gestures, and the list could continue. 😨 On a stage, in front of a team, in an interview, or in front of a negotiation group from the client, we feel most vulnerable. We might feel that we are not enough, we are imposters, we don’t have all the information and knowledge, we will be judged, we will be criticised, we will lose our credibility, our jobs, our social rank, and even our lives. 😱 All these are potential scenarios that cross our minds when we face public speaking and we are not “ready” for it, and believe me, I had a lot of those. 😔 I was able to overcome most of them only by accepting and loving myself for who I am. 💪 Before my speech on a TEDx stage, I was comparing myself to other speakers, more experienced ones, with different backgrounds, professional and personal stories. Huge mistake. 😠 That only deepens the fear and anxiety for what will come. I’ve seen them before all of us entered on stage: they also had emotions, they were humans, they had their own fears and insecurities. And that gave me courage, to accept myself as I am, to respect my learning and growth process, and to never compare myself. 🌟 We are unique, we are humans, and we should allow ourselves to be vulnerable. It’s okay to not know everything, it’s okay to say “I don’t know!”, it’s okay to have emotions and to share them. People will love you more if you show authenticity and your true self rather than posing the ideal, hard-to-reach, un-empathic position. 🥰 And it’s also okay to ask for help if you don’t know how to do that. More details in the comments section below. 👇 Did you had similar experiences? What worked for you to calm your mind? #leadership #publicspeaking #management #coaching #vulnerability

Forget Applause, No Approval Needed . . . Standing before a vast sea of faces for the first time, my mind turned blank, and I choked. It was terrifying. But guess what? Each stumble and sweat-drenched moment taught me priceless lessons on public speaking. Through years of trials, errors, and countless deep breaths, I have distilled my experience into 5 powerful affirmations: ✅Embrace Your Authentic Voice: 'My inner authority guides my words.' ✅Release the Need for Approval: 'I value my voice over external validation.' ✅Ignore the Critics: 'Judgement does not define my message.' ✅Speak Your Truth: 'I share my insights, boldly and unapologetically.' ✅Radiate Positivity: 'I shine with the brilliance of the sun.' These words give me strength in high-pressure moments. Now, I step onto the stage not to perform, but to tell my story. The paradox is that when you don’t crave acceptance and speak your truth with confidence, you are able to inspire and connect deeply with your audience. ❤️ Remember, mental preparation is as crucial as subject matter expertise. What rituals or affirmations help you present your best self? Let's share and grow together. #PublicSpeaking #Empowerment #GrowthMindset #Confidence #Leadership #communications #Lbfalumni #Skyhightower --- if you found this interesting, read my latest posts here:  https://lnkd.in/gTypxjwy

Norman Vincent Peale once said, "If you paint in your mind a picture of bright and happy expectations, you put yourself into a condition conducive to your goals." It's true! Our thoughts and beliefs have a powerful impact on our lives. For example, I used to struggle with public speaking. Every presentation filled me with dread. My negative thoughts about my abilities made it worse. But then, I focused on visualizing myself delivering a confident and engaging presentation. I practiced positive affirmations and envisioned the audience responding positively. The first few times weren't perfect, but gradually, my confidence grew. I now enjoy public speaking and even use it to connect with others. Life is full of challenges, but they are also growth opportunities. Don't be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and embrace new experiences. How you think and feel about yourself, including your beliefs and expectations about what is possible, determines everything you do and everything that happens to you. When you change the quality of your thinking, you change the quality of your life, sometimes instantly. This week, let's challenge ourselves to embrace positive thinking! Positive thoughts are life-enhancing. They empower you and make you feel stronger and more confident. What are some ways you can cultivate a more positive mindset? What is a recent challenge you've overcome by staying positive? #positivethinking #mindset #personalgrowth #empowerment

𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗣𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗡𝗘: 𝗜 𝗔𝗠 𝗔𝗡 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗧 🤫💡 For years, I felt pressured to speak up, mistaking silence for a lack of confidence. I was urged to be more vocal in meetings and networking events, often encouraged to add commentary, even when I had nothing meaningful to say. But an insightful piece of feedback changed everything: my quietness was not a weakness, but a superpower. 🦸♂️ It revolutionized how I engage, allowing me to absorb, reflect, and then speak with impact. As an introvert, I value listening intently and absorbing information before speaking. This practice not only honors others' views but also provides two significant benefits: 1. Deep focus to thoughtfully absorb and understand what people say 2. Incorporating a broad perspective before contributing The result? My words carry weight. 🎙️ People really pay attention when I do speak up and what I say resonates because I took the time to listen and understand first. Let's celebrate the strength in silence and the power of thoughtful words. 🎉🔇 Fellow introverts, embrace your superpower and heed Plato's wisdom: "𝘞𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺; 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨." Tap into your inner strength. 💪Share your introvert superpowers using #IntrovertSuperpowers and let's redefine what it means to be powerful. 🌍💪 (Image: Kenny Eliason on Unsplash) #IntrovertSuperpowers #SilentImpact #ThoughtfulLeadership #PowerOfSilence

#valuesbasedleadership #ValueAlignment #LivingyourValues and more such Conversations abound. What does that mean in the most understood ways to You? I am an ardent fan of putting value in place for myself and the people I work so closely with. Embracing valuesis all about living through what matters most to us! and I must highlight that it's not that when you aren't living that way, it's going to be Okay...a prick will continue to bother you deep down. It's not another #missing something casual prick, it is so deep that it won't allow you to be Present deeply, Nag you a lot that Focus would be diluted and most importantly it makes you feel short of your true authentic best. What to do? A checkin into what matters most to you? A reflection and questioning of oneself on what's isreally important to you? Here are 5 Questions to dig deeper into what matters to you and identifying it to live your life in the most authentic way👇👇👇 Embark on a self awareness journey with them and do not forget to share which one came easy while which ones kept you hooked on for long. Imagining You are aware of your core values through this, what becomes possible for you, is making me sit in utter anticipation and curiosity:) #PRspeaks-chaos to clarity Confusion to Conversations . At EduconceptsIndiaInitiatives-We Care ❤️ 360DegreeCounsellingEICoachingSolutionsPeople

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 🚀 𝐷𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑? 🤔 I recently watched 𝑴𝒐𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝑸𝒂𝒉𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒊’𝒔 𝑻𝑬𝑫𝒙 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒄𝒉, “𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔,” and it truly opened my eyes 👀. His message is crystal clear: 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥! Whether we realize it or not, every word we speak can either uplift or bring someone down. It’s all about the 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡. 💡 🔸️ 𝐀 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 can change someone’s day 🌞 🔸️ 𝐀 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 can boost confidence 🎯 🔸️ 𝐀 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲 can heal wounds 💖 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬—𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. Qahtani’s message made me reflect on how we communicate, especially in the workplace and with the people around us. 🌍 I’ve learned that effective communication is about more than just talking; it’s about building relationships, fostering growth, and showing compassion. 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 🗣️, and 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. ✅️ Here are a few principles inspired by Qahtani’s speech: 🗣️ 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Let your words drive meaningful action. 🌱 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐮𝐩: Every word can sow the seeds of growth. 🌍 𝐁𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐟𝐮𝐥: The words we speak shape the world around us. If one speech can have such a lasting impact on me, imagine what your words can do for someone else. Every day is an opportunity to create a ripple effect 🌊. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗹𝘆. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆. 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆. ✨️ 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒖𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒕 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆❓️💬 ♻️ Repost this to help others in your network and follow PRIOBRATA BISWAS MEng for more! #Inspiration #Leadership #PowerOfWords #WorkplaceCulture #Impact #Motivation #PositiveCommunication #PersonalGrowth

We tell ourselves that being upfront, having the tough conversation, being real, asking for what we want and need, giving the feedback, or holding them accountable is just too awkward, hard, and uncomfortable. So we don't. And then we wonder how come our frustrations and resentments worsen and our relationship becomes even tougher. The unspoken is never benign. The unspoken will fester, eat us from the inside out, and will do more damage than just having the tough conversation. Take a breath. Getting your thinking brain online. Own your part. Use curious language. Believe the best. Be clear. #communication #honesty #toughconversations