Stop being the Boss and return to being human

Effective organizations have comprehensive, coherent and sustained inductions programs that train, support and and retain employees. Top performers make it priority to build relationships with their teammates and their customers, its never waste of time connecting with the people. Working as meeting and events executive brings me to daily contact with practitioners of all walks, and being Dubai, companies are under perpetual obligation to provide training to its staff which intentionally leaves out its managers. Each day I interact with trainers and trainees of some sort not because I have nothing to do but to increase my human connection and culture awareness.

Last week I got stuck in a training room for over two hours when all I needed was the trainer to sign a consent form for me before they begin their training. I was almost moved to tears when the young lady hardly in her mid twenties was training a room-full of beer-bellied Managing directors, general managers and even C.E.Os on a culture building session. This leadership development specialist had to suspend her planned training on whatever their topic was, she had to start from personal etiquette and behavioral grooming.

In my 2-hours of productivity interlude I came up with some deceptively simple ideas for building human connections both personally and professionally.


1. Be on time - I have friends and colleagues who run their way into all meetings saying "sorry am late" well, its either their choose to take their daily cardio dose just before meetings or they are just rude.

2. Always start with please and end with Thank you -  Some managers are really deep into their despotism,, Oops! management phase that this basic courtesy that even armed robbers have begun to use on their victims hardly find their way out of  their mouths.

3. Be the best listener you know - Forget about this art, its already lost especially by same managers that I witnessed, they have chronic desire to be heard. however for you who is reading this I bet you can be quiet, make eye contact and pay attention to what is being said.

4. Smile more - I never imagined that the whole room containing two-dozen people could all achieve that look at the same time! Doctors have hundreds of reasons why smile is good for you, I however have just one reason, "I don't want to see people looking like they just bitten a big piece of lemon"

5. Be friendly and caring - That could have been world's largest assembly of angry-ready people, callous and lacking in self-control. I wish I had the chance to encourage them to start pretending that they are friendly and caring!!!!