Nourishing Strong Relationships in a Virtual World
Our world, personal and professional, has been rocked by these seemingly unending pandemic years. While almost everything has changed in some way or another, the importance of building and maintaining relationships is just as important as it’s ever been. But making those connections is much easier in person than in a virtual or hybrid setting.
Personally, as someone strong in the Woo strength (winning others over), the shift to virtual has been tough. It’s more natural for me to get information from non-verbal cues when I’m face-to-face rather than over a call or video meeting. I also feel a stronger sense of social connection when I’m around other people.
From an organizational perspective, the leaders I work with have shared how difficult it’s been to manage workloads while keeping a pulse on staff wellness and nurturing team dynamics. It’s to their credit that despite juggling many priorities, they’ve kept employee connection top of mind. Recent studies have found that “connection to others has demonstrated clear benefits to healthcare workers’ mental health and well-being.” Additionally, as the Great Resignation and high turnover continue to cause turmoil in the workplace, close bonds with colleagues at work can be one of the best retention strategies available.
Though the challenge is undeniably steep, it’s entirely possible for us to keep nourishing strong relationships in this new world of work. It just requires a bit more forethought and can be helped along by capitalizing on the power of strengths.
1. Be intentional about creating moments for connection
While there are many pros to hybrid and virtual work, one of the cons is that team members can easily feel isolated and out of touch. Leaders can no longer afford to leave connection and relationship-building on autopilot and need to be proactive about creating moments for connection.
· Establish regular check-ins: whether it’s once a week or twice a month, make sure there are touchpoints scheduled into your calendars with team members. Even if you have nothing work-related to discuss, it’s a great opportunity to ask, “how are you doing, really?” or give them the chance to run any questions or concerns by you.
· Leave time in group meetings for an icebreaker or team activity: one of the common complaints of virtual work is that a lot of the relational elements of the workday have been stripped away. So even if you just ask people to share a word or two about how they’re feeling, incorporate moments for connection. Start meetings with icebreakers or ask team members to pick something on their desk that represents one of their strengths and explain why.
2. Individualize your communication
There’s no quicker way to erode relationships than poor communication. Don’t make the mistake of assuming effective communication is the default, even if your team has been working together for some time. Virtual is still a fairly new way of working for many, so take time to explicitly delineate norms and preferences.
· Capture your team’s communication preferences: how do they want to communicate? Call, text, email, Zoom? Do they need frequent check-ins? Knowing strengths can also help in understanding what the other person needs. Are they high in relationship-building strengths? If so, they may require more small talk to feel connected. Learn preferences and individualize your approach.
· When networking, ask for the connection preference: one person may want a Zoom call because conversations are easier when they can see body language and expressions, whereas a person with Activator might be grateful for a walking phone call instead. Choosing communication that’s convenient for whomever you’re connecting with is a small but simple way to show thoughtfulness and start new professional relationships off on the right foot.
3. Take extra care to add a personal touch
This isn’t anything new. Personal touches have always been important in professional settings (as anyone strong in Individualization will tell you!). But now that people are feeling isolated, overwhelmed, and disconnected from their institutions, their teams, and even the community at large, these personal touches pack an extra punch.
· Jot down notes after conversations: the best networkers and relationship-builders are excellent at remembering personal details about those they interact with. Some rely on memory, but more effective is to keep notes. It’s a good practice to write down a few words of anything noteworthy after conversations, so you can turn back to them and make reference in future chats.
· Send personalized gift packages and/or handwritten notes: nothing can make up for the in-person touchpoints that used to be so much more frequent than today. But a personalized gift or handwritten note lets others know we care and are thinking of them.
With just a bit more effort and dash of intentionality, we can continue building those strong relationships, whether it be in-person or in this new virtual landscape.