Connecting Tissue

Thursday’s Thought (on a Friday… Oops!): “You want to go fast, go alone. You want to go far, go with a group” - African Proverb?

Most of us are not gifted enough to participate in solo careers. Very few get to be world class sprinters, singers, authors, master painters, or social media influencers. Most of us will work in teams, in environments where there is a great interdependence amongst colleagues to be successful. Organizations are complex ecosystems, where every individual, no matter how small of a role, plays a vital role in the overall health and success of the system. Interdependence reigns supreme as a cornerstone of success and achievements. We can’t view our organizations as mere collections of individuals, no matter how brilliant our people are. We can’t pursue our intentions (dislike goals or okrs) in isolation. The team’s success will suffer! We need to recognize and accept our intentions as part of a finely tuned network of interconnected parts. Each department, team, and individual team members needs to rely on each other for support, collaboration, and expertise to deliver success and achieve our intentions.?

In a fast-paced era, like the one we are facing, it is easy to get caught up in the idea of individual achievements. True greatness arrives with collaboration, support, and synergy. We need to both, give and receive in order to drive pace and impact.?

How do we do that? That is the question I’ve been pondering for a while. The words “connecting tissue” continue to resonate as I investigate and reflect this topic. I use Connecting Tissue to describe the underlying principle that ties us together in a work environment, brings concepts and discussions together, more importantly, people. These are my 5 initial modules to drive Connecting Tissue. These are short thoughts, more later depth and details later but this can get all of us started to think about our own situations and needs:

1. Meeting Efficiency: Most of us don’t run organized meetings. Some do! Structure to meetings will lead to better focus and discipline. Before a meeting is scheduled, we should ask ourselves if this could be a slack or an email? We need to assure that all invitees need to be there, that they can bring value to the conversation. Craft agenda, assign responsibilities and manage the discussion to stay on topic. We need to make sure we exit with next steps and key takeaways including notes to pass down.
2. Presentation Skills: Plain and simple! Direct and to the point. Most of us could be better at it.?
3. Giving / Receiving Feedback: We really need to organize our thoughts before sharing them. Consider the audience, the tone, and importantly, a set-up to ensure context is received. We need to be open to feedback as well, not defensive. Again, lots more here to write.
4. Conflict Resolution: I am amazed at how we tend to walk away without clear resolutions to issues. Ultimately, how do we come through the right decision in the best interest of the customer, business, team, org…
5. Leading with Empathy: The ultimate missing link if there is to be a true Connecting Tissue. The simple definition of empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings, the perspectives, and the experiences of others. It can help to pause and put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, to perceive and comprehend their emotions, thoughts, and concerns, and be able to process the discussion or disagreements with sensitivity and understanding. Again, lots more to write about this, later.?

I will close with how I started. Most of us are not gifted enough to participate in solo careers. Very few get to be world class sprinters, singers, authors, master painters, or social media influencers. Most of us will work in teams, in environments where there is a great interdependence amongst colleagues to be successful. However, in speaking with some of those “soloist” virtuosos, I have come to the realization that they actually have a massive interdependence within their support network and rely on various individuals to shine as individuals.?

Collective strength surpasses individual efforts. Together, we can conquer challenges, inspire innovation, and reach new heights. Connecting Tissue, let’s try it, let’s build it!?