Our focus this month is on the importance of creating connection both in the workplace and in life. Strong social connections make people happier and physically healthier, which can translate into work performance. How we feel profoundly effects how we perform. If you’ve been practicing any positivity exercises, you know what I mean!
Work relationships are incredibly important to employee well-being. It’s about more than just “getting along” with a co-worker. We are wired with a desire for social connection. We are social beings. It’s important to understand how important social connections are in the workplace and in our life.
Two examples that happened to me recently highlight this point. One of my work assignments has given me the opportunity to speak to high-ranking political and military officials. I don’t have any military experience so I was a little intimidated (in an awestruck way) to be interviewing a three star general. Here’s how the conversation started.
Lisa: Good morning, general, how are you today, sir?
General: Do you know what’s happening out here right now?
Lisa: (gulp, heart beating) No sir, what’s happening?
General: OPM [the Office of Personnel Management] just issued a snow dismissal order in the next 15 minutes due to snow.
Lisa: Wow, how much snow is predicted? Do we need to end this call now?
General: Well, I don’t take my orders from OPM so I’m staying put.
Lisa: You know, I always laugh a little with snow warnings. I grew up in Alaska and snow was something you just lived with six months out of the year. We still had to go outside for recess unless it was 20 degrees below zero!
At that point, the general and I shared a good laugh and told some snow stories, and a much more relaxed Lisa continued with the interview. There was a friendly ease in our conversation that I know was a result of finding a connection and building rapport before having to ask more serious questions.
My second example happened Sunday. There was a guest choir
at church and during Communion they sang Baba Yetu, (The Lord’s Prayer)
in Swahili. I don’t know the language and I’ve never been to Africa, but when
the choir started singing, I couldn’t help but turn around and watch (the choir
was behind the audience). I noticed the whole congregation turned around as
well. The music was so amazing, and soul-filled people started moving to it.
Everyone’s face lit up with a smile. At that point, thousands of miles away, we
felt a connection to this inspiring African music. We didn’t understand the
words but we understood the sentiment that brought those words out in song.
Connection happens in many ways. I encourage you to check out the Creating Connection exercise this month on the Toolkit page of our website. Try it! And as always, I’d love to hear your stories of connection.
Lisa
I believe that connection is one of the most important and life saving tools that we have. As someone who learned to put up a wall and take care of my own needs less as I got older, it was connecting with co-workers that opened up my world and made it seem much bigger. I was able to explore things about myself that I never knew existed and learned more from the people I encountered than I ever did at formal institutions.
Whenever someone asks me why I like to work with people and be social, I always answer the same way, “I only get to live one life, and by interacting and learning from others, I get the opportunity to experience many lives and learn from their experiences.”
Thank you for sharing your story and creating this place of connection!
I enjoy you sharing your inspiring stories. Snow is a good ice-breaker.
Music is a great way to connect with others. At mass sometimes some of the songs are in Latin and it sounds so beautiful and heavenly even though I don’t understand most of the words. It’s on my bucket list to go to the Latin mass at least once.
Yes the Music at Mass is truly beautiful , all angels are present and singing with. I can’t wait for Easter
The hardest thing for me during the social distancing was that we weren’t able to go to Mass, especially on Easter. I told our priest about how the Mass and spending time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament was the most helpful thing for my life-long mental illness and anxiety so he gave me a key to our small country church. I am so grateful to be able to sit in Jesus’ presence anytime and it has changed my life. It helps me with my panic attacks which I rarely have now and I’m able to lower the dose of a medicine I’ve been dependent on for several years. While most of our world is more unhappy than ever I am signing songs of praise throughout my day.
I’ve decided to tell a silly joke by email to the entire office once a week. I’ve received a couple of groans in response but that’s it. I’m still going to continue to do it because maybe, just maybe someone is enjoying the joke just a tiny bit and I brought the ghost of a smile to their faces. I’ll keep at it until management tells me to stop.
Dear Anonymous,
I like your idea of committing to sharing one silly joke a week. It’s hard to step out and try to bring cheer to others especially if there are some groans. Keep sharing the silly jokes and maybe some of the groans will turn into laughs.
Thank you,
Mary
Humor is a wonderful character strength! If you’re interested to explore more about character strengths, visit https://www.viacharacter.org/. VIA stands for values in action and the assessment is free. It is as important to know and grow our character strengths as our talents/strengths. Keep it going!
Dear Anonymous (J ?) ha ha – yes I probably am one of the ones groaning but silently laughing at the same time and I sneak some of them privately to friends lol
Giving cards to people is a great way to connect, it adds such a personal touch! Face to face communication is great! Facebook is good but reaching out to people personally is better. People need a personal touch, a good word, inspiration, fellowship! Music is also a great source of entertainment and communication.