It's all about connecting

It happened very quietly … no fanfare at all … but there it was … apparently (according to Linkedin) there were now no fewer than 2000 (actually technically even more) people connected to yours truly!

 In one way, I found this instantly amusing! My daughters (all 3 of them) have long paid-out on me for having so few ‘friends’ on facebook!  Until recently not even 100!  They have said all those condescending things like “Oh how sweet … our daddy has nearly 100 friends! That must make him feel very special!”  This is apparently not such an uncommon quip or so I gather … from kids about their parents – they sometimes even feel sorry for us … that we should be so very low in the numbers of our social circle (& that could open a whole ‘other debate’) but yet – here was a number that was around twenty times my facebook numbers and while I was not claiming these people to be friends – they were (are) in fact ‘consenting’ connections!

 All these people (you may well be one of them) had at some point actually agreed to be connected (to be linkedin) ... and that got me thinking …

What is it that causes us to ‘connect’ even if we don’t necessarily regard the other person as a personal acquaintance or ‘friend’?  In reality, there is no real mystery here!  Somewhere along the way we have realized that connections can be positive, relevant, perhaps even vital in the sphere which is our commercial world.

There is an underlying view, for many of us, that it is increasingly important to be connected, to stay connected – especially in the space of our work or our business.

Telstra was on to this truism when they named their business-focused newsletter ‘Let’s Connect’. There are just too many potential benefits in ‘having connections’ to seriously consider the alternative.  Not everyone will base that on Linkedin … but even the old school networkers are still maintaining their connections! Well most of them anyway.

So in the first instance this ‘need to connect’ has been the catalyst, the core driver for a multi-million dollar communication industry. It is why we talk, we text, we WhatsApp and use Facebook Messenger on our smart phones. It’s also why we email, have coffee appointments and attend a myriad of networking functions.

FOMO (fear of missing out) in many cases is very real and we feel the need to be ‘in the loop’. It is encouraged by the cycle of constant media and the advancements in technology but more importantly our activities and behaviours (habits) in the modern era now mean that our workspaces have been changing even in ways we did not predict.

Many years ago (most won’t remember this) telephone calls were facilitated through an operator at a central service centre and callers were literally connected to the other party but we still use this term today – albeit with far more modern devices and means. We speak of ‘getting connected’ when we do everything from getting the landlines working at our new office to being able to access the internet or to log in to the cloud!

There is also that valid concern that if we aren’t in touch with the people around us … be they our clients, our own team or our industry colleagues that we are then ‘out of touch’ or even worse … disconnected from both what is happening and also from those all-important connections.

Getting connected, being connected, staying connected is one of our prime goals every working day … because if we aren’t it can prove very, very difficult (practically impossible) to function at our work. 

As we at Offiscape and our fellow dealers within The Meta Collective have seen a huge increase in the demand for privacy booths (especially with their unprecedented levels of acoustic value) … we are seeing that those of us who have the ‘joy’ of working with others (& interacting with them) … also want the freedom to both collaborate and connect on our own terms. To have a face-to-face meeting with the confidence of knowing that we are not being overhead … and likewise to make that phone call without worrying that others are listening in.  It has also allowed us to make (or take) that special phone call or video conference call because we know we can do so without disturbing our colleagues while they still need to focus on their own work.

Portable technology and the wonder of WIFI have given us great flexibility but we still have the need for discretion, for isolating distracting background noise and having dedicated spaces to do important communication.  Ultimately communicating (by its very definition) is about … you guessed it .. connecting!

Which brings us to an important consideration!   We’re about to embark on a brand new year … and we could celebrate that we are finally able to be even smarter about how we connect … with even more options to connect on OUR terms.  While this of itself is brilliant and helpful … being the social beings that we are … let’s not forget the most wonderful truth of all.  And what is that – you may well ask? Simply this of course: One of the great joys in life is that we can communicate with each other and on some level connect with one another!

And no matter how modern we get … we are at that time of year when we can take some time out to connect with those who are nearest and dearest to us, to those who may not live with us but whom we make that special effort to touch base. It is a time to give an extra wave to a work colleague as they head off for a break, to a neighbour whom you’ve barely seen all year, to old friends and new ones too.

And while we recognise and appreciate afresh how important it is that we do ‘stay connected’ and ‘reconnect’ with all those special people in our extended circle … this particular connection of yours is sending a special greeting to you and all of your people!

I hope that as we remember the reason for the season that you personally and everyone who is special to you … do have a very precious, happy and peaceful time and an absolutely magnificent start to the great adventure that lies ahead - 2019!

Looking forward to ‘reconnecting’ with you all in the New Year!

Jason Mark is a director of Offiscape, Brisbane and international correspondent for The Meta Collective – now supported in Australia & New Zealand through nine dealership showrooms. Direct enquiries +61 419 827272 www.themetacollective.com