As social distancing and working from home takes place in response to health and safety concerns, maintaining connection is especially important. Connection, as defined by Brené Brown, is the “energy that is created between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued.” We can build connection in ways that reduce virtual distance and enhance teamwork by:
1. Demonstrating Vulnerability-Based Trust: Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, describes vulnerability-based trust as a fundamental building block of effective teams in which team members have the confidence that mistakes and shortcomings won’t be used against them. Leaders have an important role to play in developing vulnerability-based trust by going first in setting a positive example. By communicating openly and honestly with team members, including when we don’t have all the answers in the midst of uncertainty, we can begin to create a safe and supportive environment for others to do the same.
A global team of women leaders who had known each other for years developed a deepe trust to work more closely together by sharing personal experiences that shaped their values as a leader. Although this was part of an in-person team building training I facilitated, a similar dialogue can also take place through video conferencing.
2. Conducting Regular Check-Ins: Take a few minutes at the start of your next meeting to invite staff to take turns sharing how they are doing, which could include how they are taking care of themselves and their families in the midst of COVID-19. Creating the space for team members to share what is going on for them provides a transition for getting ready to work together in addition to getting to know each other better. Check-ins are a regular part of the meetings I facilitate and can be as simple as asking your colleagues how they are.
3. Creating a Supportive Environment: Creating an agreement about how team members will work together that includes determining in advance how decisions will be made and problems will be solved is an important step towards creating a supportive environment. This can include establishing a practice of asking for help and checking in with team members about how their work is going between meetings.
An effective agreement for support is:
· Clear, specific, and actionable
· A voluntary agreement between the persons requesting and providing help
· Enables all team members to participate as givers and receivers
A leadership team I worked with established a regular practice of meeting every week for 15 minutes in which the only topic was taking turns asking for and agreeing to provide support. This often involved requesting a conversation with another team member for help addressing a problem in their day-to-day work.
What other ways are you building and maintaining connection with your colleagues?