As we enter the season for Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. where many are spending time with loved ones, friends, and family, the concept of togetherness is on my mind. Maybe it’s because my husband and I will be alone this year and our adult children will be with other families states away from us.
I think about the years where we had guests with us for the holiday – to ensure no one was left alone or without family during this season. I think about my mother in her final years, alone in her apartment for the majority of her days. I think about the patients I served early in my career who had no one come visit them during lengthy stays in rehab or the nursing home. It all makes so much more sense today than it did then.
Humans need human connection.
I’ve been reading the book “Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World” by Dr. Vivek Murthy, the 19th Surgeon General of the U.S., and it underscores the actual physical and mental health decline that comes with loneliness and being disconnected from community.
Belonging and relationship is built on connection and connection is built on listening.
I can’t help but think of my team of staff – all remote, working everyday from their home, or camper, or relative’s home. It’s easy to think that because we were on Slack and Zoom all day together, that they are ok. And it’s SO EASY to try to multitask and to look at the email or text that just popped in during our one-on-one conversations, but that dilutes my listening, which works against connection and harms relationship in the long run. How am I demonstrating that I am fully engaged right here, right now with each of my team members?
In the book, Dr. Murthy says, “loneliness ran like a dark thread through many of the more obvious issues that people brought to my attention, like addiction, violence, anxiety and depression.” He goes on to say that, “in some cases loneliness was driving health problems. In others, it was a consequence of the illness and hardships that people were experiencing…clearly there was something about disconnection from one another that was making people’s lives worse than they had to be.”
In story after story, human connection became part of the solution. When members organize together and create community, there is a vital impact to human well being and health. Loneliness contributes to burn out and exhaustion for professionals and individuals at every level.
Humans need human connection.
So what can we do about it and what does this have to do with marketing and customer experience? A lot.
To belong is to be known. To be accepted for who you are. It’s sharing common interests, values, and pursuits with others. There is profound power in human connection and togetherness.
As leaders, we need to ensure our teams are connected. We need to focus on listening and seeing and hearing our teams so they feel heard and connected. As humans we need to not shut people out and judge their situation as “shameful” – we need to remain connected, remain hopeful, and remain available to everyone. We need to reach out for connection.
As marketers and CX professionals, we need to understand that humans need connection. We should not just try to sell at them and dismiss their needs or interests. What makes good marketing, listening, service and relationship, is what helps connect us. How can we draw our customers into relationship with us? How can we position our offers/products in a way that acknowledges them and their needs as worthy, valued and part of something bigger?
Building better connections with humans is good for health…and for business.
This post was written by Sally Mildren, CEO of ClarityPX. Sally is one of eight children and was a Recreation Therapist early in her career treating individuals with traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and many other acute injuries or illnesses. She also spent time as a therapist at a long term care community.
