I have a friend/colleague named Beth Boen, who is the owner of SHE Leads Group, a business networking group for women business owners. A few weeks ago, Beth called me out of the blue. She does this approximately once a year. She picks up the phone, dials my number and asks one simple question:
“How are you?”
She has no other agenda than that. I always love our conversations: we talk about business, we talk about our families, what is going on with our kids… And every time I get off the phone with her, I think to myself “I am going to do more of this. I am going to reach out to others like Beth does to me.”
As it turns out, “water cooler” talk helps make employees feel more connected to their co-workers and executives. According to this article in the Denver Business Journal, https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2020/06/missing-office-small-talk-researchers-say-it-impa.html these conversations to connect with each other really do affect your well-being at work. “Water cooler” talk can bridge the gap, so that controversial topics are easier to work through. Think about it: when you have a connection to someone, the hard conversation can be easier and the outcomes more innovative. The folks that are more successful at work are ones that engage and connect with each other.
If I am honest with myself, I know that Beth and I have a strong connection, because she reaches out to me every year. And let’s be clear: she is the one that has reached out to me, and it always makes me have a better day.
Let’s all make a commitment to engage in more meaningful conversation like Beth Boen, starting now. Make 2 calls a day for the next 4 days and see how you feel about the state of the world.
I’ll start.