Comments on: Fired Up, Connecting, and Win a Book

By: Floroskop

Floroskop — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 08:21:05 +0000

Hello!
I think this try.

By: David Zinger

David Zinger — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 14:02:27 +0000

The chance for a book is now over.
Charlotte Babb won by submitting a comment and having her number chosen through a random number generator that included the number of all who offered comments. On behalf of Michael and myself, thank you for your comments.
David

By: Mike King

Mike King — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 20:10:51 +0000

There are a lot of things that really build connections at our workplace. We have a training problem specifically for doing this where people build skills as an individual but then practice it and demonstrate it to the team. EVERYONE holds each other accountable and we have continual discussions about this which definitely builds close connections between people.

Another is having an active social club outside the office where the company sponsors a monthly event and get together. We also have a monthly social luncheon for the whole company.

Keeping other personal connections alive is done as part of our management team’s main focus to work through others. Regular one and ones at every level of the organization and an attitude in having each person be responsible for teaching things and working with anyone more junior than them is also very important.

By: Employee Engagement Leadership Team Building - Michael Lee Stallard

Employee Engagement Leadership Team Building - Michael Lee Stallard — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:09:47 +0000

[...] this week I provided a guest post at Slacker Manager. Everyone who posts a comment about how they increase connection in their workplace will be entered [...]

By: Robin Matuk

Robin Matuk — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 02:30:50 +0000

I work from home most of the time which makes it appear to be more difficult to stay connected. I, however, do not find that not to be the case. The way to stay connected is to be “available” and “responsive”. I respond to ALL email and voice mail within four hours. I feel totally connected this way.

By: Win a book at Slacker Manager

Win a book at Slacker Manager — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:41:17 +0000

[...] good buddy Phil Gerbyshak over at Slacker Manager has an offer you shouldn’t refuse, “…a guest post from Michael Lee Stallard [...]

By: Miki

Miki — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:19:00 +0000

All my career I’ve worked at a distance from clients, first by phone, now by email and IM, but still a lot by phone. I maintain strong connectivity by being ultra-available. Clients contact me for quick help or just to chat and de-stress. I’m a big fan of laughter and find it easy to make happen.

By: Charlotte Babb

Charlotte Babb — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 01:32:47 +0000

IT may seem silly, but to keep things on an even keel with the other women in the office, I send out an occasional funny email (once a month or less) and I make a point of walking out with them to breathe or chat while they smoke. It’s not much, but it keeps me in the loop even though I am in another part of the building.

By: Michael Kanazawa

Michael Kanazawa — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:11:34 +0000

We typically start meetings at our company with a quick “check in” with everyone. It is about how life is going for each person, not projects, timelines or tasks. We connect personally before diving into business.

Similar to the prior reply, you can see people drop in, get connected, and get back in the zone as we go through the check in.

When we skip this quick step, a lot of times meetings take longer, peoples’ minds are not as focused, and it is more common for people to be stressed out and frustrated with each other…overall, less productive. Connections are important and make us more effective.

By: Brad Davis

Brad Davis — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:22:45 +0000

A simple think I try to do is ensure that every meeting has a connection aspect. It can be as simple as asking everyone how they’re doing, asking who’s seen the latest movie, or some sort of simple ice breaker. The rules I use are everyone must be present, and it can’t be related to the meetings purpose. It only takes a few minutes and you can visually see peoples attitudes and behaviors change once they have made an initial connection.