Michael Stallard has written a beautiful ChangeThis manifesto called The Connection Culture: A New Source of Competitive Advantage.
Connections matter at work. A lot. From Michael’s manifesto:
An organization with a high degree of connection has employees who are more engaged, more productive in their jobs, and less likely to leave the organization for a competitor. Organizations with greater connection also have employees who share more information with their colleagues and, therefore, help decision-makers make better-informed decisions and help innovators innovate.
It starts with the story of Michael’s wife cancer treatment at the hands of people who get the value of connecting:
[Katie began] high dosage chemotherapy at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Our experience at Sloan-Kettering really surprised me. Every time we approached the front doors of the 53rd Street entrance in midtown Manhattan, the exuberant doormen locked their eyes on us and greeted us with big, warm smiles as if we were friends coming to visit. The receptionist and security people were equally friendly. During our first office visit with Katie’s oncologist, Dr. Martee Hensley, she spent an hour educating us, and, although the statistics she shared were sobering, Dr. Hensley’s warm disposition and optimistic attitude lifted our spirits and gave us hope. Simply put, we connected with the people at Sloan-Kettering, and it encouraged us and made us more optimistic.
I could not agree more. And these three point sum it up nicely:
Reflecting on these experiences made me realize three things:
- First, connection is a powerful force that creates a positive bond between people based on both rational and emotional factors.
- Second, connection contributes to bringing out the best in people—it energizes them, makes them more trusting and resilient to face life’s inevitable difficulties.
- Third, connection can vary tremendously across organizations depending upon local culture and leadership.
Feeling connected to the people we work with is tremendously important. If for no other reason, then for the simple fact that we spend a lot of time with them!
Read Michael’s manifesto at ChangeThis.
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