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Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Should You be More Professional or More Personal?

The answer is both!

On this week’s podcast episodes, I take you on a trip down memory lane, including the fact that I was holding hands with Amy, my former girlfriend, the first time I asked my future wife on a date (yes, it’s worth listening to). I decided to take a similar route for this week’s blog.

This Forbes article emphasizes the importance of connecting with your colleagues or teammates on a personal level (even if you are their superior or supervisor!). In fact, being committed and invested in your team members’ personal growth is often the big difference between a good team and a great team.

So here are some ways you can start making that personal connection with your team.


1. Communicate regularly, not just “need to know” information. ”did you do anything fun this weekend?” “... That sounds great. Are you comfortable telling me about your family?” Get to know your team more, even outside work-related situations.  

2. Ask, ask, ask! Dive deeper by asking open-ended questions, not questions with a simple yes/no answer. Initiate the sharing and show some vulnerability: “I was nervous when I went to that class, how were you feeling?”

3. Be interested—genuinely! Learn their motivations, their aspirations, and their dreams. By doing so, you create lasting relationships.

4. Celebrate often! Start recognizing your small wins and their milestones. These will bring your team closer together.

And the finale, you have to be intentional about MAKING TIME. MAKE TIME because you care. It shows that you really, truly, value your colleagues and friends.

If you want to grow our friendship, hit me @ rob@leadetribe.com

Have a great week!


Dr. Rob

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