What are your team members first and last names?
Do you know where they live?
Do you know when their birthdays are?
Do you know their childrens’ names?
Do you know what their favourite holiday spot is? And, more importantly, why?
Do you know their wives, husbands, partners or are they using tinder?
What motivates them to go to work?
What motivates them to deliver beyond expectation?
Do they really want to delight your customers or are they simply acting as part of a procedural system?
What other jobs are they going for?
What other opportunities are there for them within your organisation?
What can you do to keep them?
Are they on the bus or are they off the bus?
Are they here to be remarkable or are they here for survival?
In the fast paced world that we live in, the face to face relationship whether it be your client, your team member or your stakeholders on your project matters more than ever before. The technology we created to keep us more connected has subtly reduced the emphasis of our presence. Without our inner ability to utilise our emotional intelligence, we struggle to develop genuine rapport with whoever we grace in our working lives. We begin to judge people solely on tasks delivered and emails answered and fail to recognise the importance of being human.
Work is essential, it provides us with the ability to make a living. However, what is life without others to share it with?
Before you hit enter on your next email, maybe pick up the phone and call your teammate. Ask him how his weekend was. Ask him how he is feeling. Ask her what her kids are up to at school and what the kids are learning. Build that relationship, understand their beliefs and values and I’m entirely sure your outcomes will dramatically improve.
Be congruent. Be remarkable. Embrace it.
