Thanks for signing up to all the new readers! Here are some nuggets about how networks shape your wellbeing, relationships and community to help you actively cultivate yours.
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Wellbeing
One of the many challenges we face these days is How to Foster Psychological Safety in Virtual Meetings. This HBR article outlines some simple strategies to encourage candor and vulnerability, which are essential to high-functioning teams and more challenging to develop in virtual settings.
“Teams can be lonely places, especially when you believe others may not support your opinion or come to your defense. Such interpersonal fears are amplified for employees working from home during a prolonged crisis like the pandemic. Building psychological safety in virtual teams takes effort and strategy that pays off in engagement, collegiality, productive dissent, and idea generation.”
Relationships
The latest Reliants Project podcast is live! In it I speak with Stephen Choi, co-founder and CEO of Hi Right Now. They have created a platform to help anyone meet new people during COVID. Their format is also great for communities and organisations that want to create more interconnectivity between members. We talk about:
the beauty of timed interactions
how 1-on-1 video chats democratise interactions
the difference between talking at someone and connecting with them in a meaningful way
You can listen to the full episode here, sign up for an upcoming Hi Right Now event here, and apply to host your own event here.
Community
Many of you know that I’m originally from New York. When James Altucher’s recent blog post started making the rounds, I couldn’t help but take notice. The idea that New York City could die, or any world city for that matter, is hard to stomach. Scientists have been developing a science of cities for years and Geoffrey West lays the groundwork for this science in Scale. He talks about the interplay between physical infrastructure and social networks that makes cities so unique and fundamentally different than other biological organism. As a result, they need those connections between people to thrive. In Scale he writes:
“Cities are people, and to a large extent people are pretty much the same all over the world in how they interact with one another and how they cluster to form groups and communities…Cities are therefore much more than giant organisms or anthills; they rely on long-range, complex exchanges of people, goods, and knowledge. They are invariably magnets for creative and innovative individuals, and stimulants for economic growth, wealth production, and new ideas.”
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About The Reliants Project
Reliant is my word for a person that someone depends on, an essential component of our social networks. With each edition, I’ll share useful nuggets about how networks shape your wellbeing, relationships and community to help you actively cultivate yours. Whether you want to cultivate your relationships, make better introductions, or activate networks to make an impact in the world, let me help you reach your goals.
You can find more about The Reliants Project here.