Relationships shape how we work together. Too often, tasks take priority over connection, making collaboration difficult. Building relationships first—connection before content—creates trust, engagement, and openness, ensuring meaningful work can happen.
We must establish a personal connection with each other.
Connection before content.
Without relatedness, no work can occur.
Too often in organizational life, we ask things of people or try to work with them before we have established a relationship. This is a big mistake. Establishing a personal connection is not just beneficial; it is essential. Connection before content is a fundamental principle that should permeate all aspects of organizational interaction.
Without relatedness, no meaningful work can occur. This principle, emphasized by thought leader Peter Block, underscores the importance of building relationships before diving into tasks or content. Whether in meetings, projects, conversations, or even email correspondence, the priority should be to foster connections.
Research supports this approach, indicating that brief, relationship-building conversations significantly enhance participants’ performance on various cognitive tasks. When people feel connected, they are more engaged, open, and collaborative, leading to better outcomes.
Practically, every meeting, process, and training program should prioritize connection. This means starting with small groups to build trust and understanding. These small groups are essential building blocks for future organizational change or development.
The emphasis on connection ensures that the subsequent content is received with an open mind and a willing attitude. Without this groundwork, efforts to share knowledge, implement changes, or foster innovation will likely fall flat. Therefore, prioritizing connection before content is not just a nice-to-have but a critical strategy for successful knowledge sharing and collaboration.
Some ideas of how to "connect before content" | Will WiseRelationship and connectedness are the pre-condition for change.
Every meeting, every process, every training program has to get people connected first.
Otherwise, the content falls on deaf ears.
So small groups are an essential building block to any future you want to create.
Make connection a priority in every interaction. Start meetings with small conversations, listen actively, and show genuine interest in others. Strong relationships create trust and better collaboration. Before focusing on tasks, build the connections that make meaningful work possible. Connection before content—always.
Resources
Posts that link to this post
- Talk More The essence of Conversational Leadership is to talk with people more
- Knowledge Café: Going Off-topic It is OK to off-topic
- Nurturing a Collaborative Culture Through Knowledge Cafés Using Knowledge Cafés to bridge silos and encourage open dialogue
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