I’m as social as the next person; nevertheless, in the workplace I tend to be all business. When I reach out to a coworker, usually it’s because I have something work related I need to discuss.

An experience I had last week has me rethinking this position.

I got a call from a coworker. After we exchanged the usual pleasantries, the conversation continued down a personal line. I soon found myself telling her about my elderly father who had recently gotten pneumonia. She shared a similar situation she’d had and, although I don’t think she knew it, she provided me with a few nuggets of wisdom about aging parents that really helped me.

A few more minutes into the conversation, I was still wondering about the purpose of her call. That’s when I realized she was simply calling to connect and see how I was doing. Not long after that, we ended our call and I went back to work.

Taking Time to Connect

For the rest of that day and many days afterward, that call really stuck with me. The fact that she had reached out for the sole purpose of connecting made me feel, for the lack of a better word, special. As a coach, I know how important it is to connect with my clients. We teach it as part of our C-FAR (Connect, Focus, Activate, and Review) model in our Coaching Essentials leadership development program.

But that ten-minute phone call with my coworker drove home for me the point of how important making connection is in all our relationships. It showed me how impactful not always being “all business” can be. It also reminded me that connection needn’t be reserved just for coaching. So, while I’m not yet reaching out to people at work just to connect, I am remembering to foster a bit more connection with my coworkers.

Are you all business at work?  Could you benefit from a little connection?  Make a conscious effort this week to notice if you are taking time to connect with people at work.  If you are, pat yourself on the back.  If not, strive to do so.  Who knows—you might leave a lasting impression on someone just like my coworker did.

About Coaching Tuesday

Coaching Tuesday is a new weekly feature devoted to ideas, the latest research, and inspirations from the world of executive coaching.  Coaching Tuesday is written by Coaching Services Partners from The Ken Blanchard Companies’ Coaching Services team.  Since 2000, our 130 coaches have coached over 14,500 individuals in more than 250 companies throughout the world. Learn more at Blanchard Coaching Services.