Peer Connection

Valuing PEER CONNECTION, means for you work isn’t just about work  – it’s also about people. Positive interactions ground you, increase your focus, and keep you interested in your job. You like to engage with colleagues, fellow-managers, fellow-freelancers, customers, or clients on a personal level. You struggle when you don’t get along with your collaborators, or if your position keeps you isolated. You may take energy from social interaction, or you may more simply enjoy a sense of professional solidarity. This motive doesn’t mean you’re compelled to be friends with everyone, though you’ll likely prefer to work among at least a few friends. The connections you enjoy at work may be deep or casual, many or few. It’s likely you possess a basic friendliness and curiosity about others, and you appreciate it when your attention is reciprocated. You thrive when your instinct to connect helps build your team and drives good business. Negative relationships (or an absence of relationships), however, will leave you disengaged. Whether introverted or extroverted, you enjoy work that allows you to exercise interpersonal muscles. You thrive in a collaborative environment with positive personal connections you value. When you have beneficial relationships in your work life, you enjoy your work that much more and have greater motivation to support others.

 You feel this motive being met when…

+ You have a satisfying amount (and quality) of social interaction in your work life.

+ You enjoy the people with whom you work, and your work-life helps you experience positive connection.

+ You and your colleagues are able to function as a team, even if your responsibilities are separate.

+ Your work helps you feel more connected with other human beings, and not less.

 This motive is at risk when…

– You and your colleagues often clash, ignore, or avoid one another, or don’t share much in common.

– Your connection to your peers is minimal, shallow, or lacking warmth and positivity.

– Negative relationships or interpersonal conflicts are one of the greatest pain points in your work life.

– When you reach out to your peers on a personal level, your attempts are not reciprocated.

A Work Wellness Check-In for PEER CONNECTION

1. Do I connect with the individuals with whom I work? Do I like them as people? Are any of my coworkers friends?
2. When was the last time I connected with a work peer or client in a meaningful way? Do I pursue chances to connect?
3. Do I have enough social interaction in my work life? Could I make an effort to socialize with others in or outside of work to support this motive?
4. When I work on a team, do we collaborate on a basis of camaraderie?  Do I participate in building shared culture and connection?

5. How effective is my company at resolving conflict? How well do my peers deal with conflict? When we lose a sense of positive connection, how quickly do we recover it?
6. Do I personally handle conflict well in my work environment?
7. When I’m working, do I feel isolated? If so, how often? Why do I feel this way?
8. If I work remotely, or am an entrepreneur or freelancer, has my situation affected my PEER CONNECTION motive? What might I do to gain or maintain more human connection in my work life?
9. Does my company offer me enough opportunities to get to know my colleagues, or does it tend to separate or disconnect its employees?
10. Do I take the time to ask work peers personal questions to get to know them as people and help build a connection? Is it reciprocated? 

11. Do my work peers primarily increase my sense of wellbeing at work, or do they detract from it? Are interactions at work a chore or a gift?
12. On a scale of 1-10, how well do I relate to and open up to my colleagues?  (1 = I tend to be shy or avoidant; 10 = I’m open, selectively vulnerable, and proactive about building connections) How do I feel about my answer? Do I need, or want, to grow in this area?
13. What are the first 5 words I would use to describe my work relationships? Do I like what I’ve described? Are there words on this list that don’t match my commitment to connection or support this motive?
14. Where do I feel the greatest disconnect from my colleagues or supervisor? Is there a specific relationship I need to change or improve? Where do I have power to make a change?