We are now firmly in the new world. Distance learning and remote working are the new normal. We are used to video calls for meetings and lessons. That morning coffee shop visit has become a distant memory. We can't remember the code to the car park at work. We have become closer to our family in Canada as they join the group family video call on a Wednesday. This is us now.
But what about that morning coffee shop visit? Why did we do it every day for so many years? Yes the coffee was good but there was something else. We were with people. Whether we walked as a team to get coffee together or we sat on our own people watching for 5 minutes whilst they made our brew we were with people.
We still see people, we see a lot more of some people! Managers that were floating in the higher floors of our building are all of a sudden available and interested in what we do. Why? Because they have the time. Meetings have become more efficient, we are working smarter but most importantly of all our managers are seeking that personal connection too.
The power of being personal was easy to underestimate before. We probably thought we went for our morning coffee because we liked the coffee. We maybe didn't notice the interactions we made with people on our walk there and back as well as in the coffee shop.
How do we be personal now? I don't mean joining a call, I mean being personal. Being personal is about putting that personal touch on things, making things yours, letting someone else almost feel your presence. If someone is going through a tough time we would maybe tell them it will be alright, offer guidance and maybe a hug. Having that conversation virtually will maybe use the same words but a very different experience as we are not there in person. We are not being personal.
We give feedback on work regularly. We have adapted to the new world and we add comments to documents. But we can be personal in this. We could add a voice note instead of typing comments. We can use our own speak, make the author know we have personally read their work. A tool like Read and Write or Kaizena has a voice note feature, or simply recording your voice and inserting the file will have the same effect, you will have been personal.
Our new challenge in the new normal now we have accepted our new way of working is to seek opportunities to be personal. SJ
