Making a Connection…

… it has always been the key to getting things done.  Whether it is getting a wireless signal, bridging between ideas, plugging into power, meeting someone new, or sprinting to your next flight,… connecting is a good thing, and if successful usually ends in a positive result.  And it seems to be growing in importance as people become more mobile,… there are just a lot more connections that have to be made in a networked world.  For example, I’m never more than a few feet away from my trusty BlackBerry, its how I stay in the flow of the many activities at work.  I’m sure that my staying continually connected to work via email, just prompts my receiving more email (I get like 400+ per day),… and in the end contributes to a vicious cycle, as we battle to see who can send the last email of the evening (and the winner generally is an associate of mine on the other side of the globe).  But without it, I would feel totally un-connected, out of touch, left behind, and clueless as to what was going on.  I’m not sure if it is true or not, but I ‘do’ feel more productive,… and I think its because it keeps me connected to other people (virtually), as well as keeping the process moving through timely reaction and response to pending decisions.

But as I have said in earlier blog posts,… this is no replacement for connecting face-to-face with others.  If you can arrange it,… shoulder to shoulder collaboration is much more powerful than email, a phone call, videoconferencing, or meeting on Second Life.  It allows for the fullest expression of ones’ ideas, and allows your full attention to be given to the ideas of others.  In-person collaboration provides a level of connection that generally yields a higher result,… as captured in the title of Keith Sawyer’s recent book - Group Genius.  In addition to other people we also need to connect to the many information sources available on the web.  While it still comes back with way too many ‘hits’, and the advertising is getting a little much, the benefits of search engines cannot be denied.  One can connect to content that in the past was not available or only available through a tremendous amount of effort; now its instant information.

In addition to people and information, we also need physical connections, one device to another.  My BlackBerry still needs its daily dose of electricity,… it seems I’m constantly moving files onto a USB stick to transport them to another device,… and we all have experienced the need to connect a VGA cable to the back of our tablet/laptop computer to move our content to a larger group display.  Some of these connections are fairly painless, others are a mild hassle at best (how many of you have crawled under a table or desk to retrieve a cable or find a power plug…?).  When in a physical setting, like an office,… one should expect the furniture to be tool-like in its response to your performance needs as well.  Does the surface adjust to allow me to work in a seated or standing (better for you) position…?  Does the chair encourage me to sit the way I’m most comfortable, and still provide my spine the healthy support it needs…?  Does the arrangement of furniture allow for quick interactions with others in my work group or on my team…?  Each of these will enhance our ability to connect and stay connected as we go through the day.

The last connection I wanted to speak to was the connection to the company’s culture or brand.  Many times we are so caught up in the work we have to do, that we forget about the company we do that work for and what they stand for,… their focus and commitment to their customers.  You may be a free agent and not work for a company, but the need to be sensitive to your personal brand is equally critical.  Your actions, your activities, your outputs, should connect to your brand in a meaningful way, creating a positive experience for your customers.  People, information, tools and brand,… all critical points of connection in a networked world.  Are you connected …?

Comments

[Bedroom Furniture]

yeah, rightly said.. i feel the importance of connection whenever i was away from my workplace. it certainly need to be given importance. nice useful post

[John Beck Real Estate]

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