Trust and success within a team is built on personal connection.
When we don’t make personal connections, the work becomes too transactional. Then Maria is just this person pinging me to do things, she’s not a person that I know and respect and think, “Maria coaches her son’s sports team. She’s committed to developing her team in important ways. She’s great and I want to support her work and help her out.” Without personal connection, we risk not taking the time with each other to understand what’s needed and what others plan to do with our deliverables, not trusting enough to negotiate priorities, and not discussing the nuances of the work.
If there’s resistance to making personal connections, tie it to the work with questions like these: