More Answers... (9/28/25 Newsletter): The Power of Connections in the Workplace
Happy Birthday to my dad, Cosmo D. Cavicchio, Jr.
He would have been 82 today.
He continues to impact so many beyond our family.
I'm so proud of that.
Hi Everyone,
Here's the blog version of the Sunday Evening "More Answers..." to get a friendly boost to setup your work week!
Remember to sign up for the newsletter! https://www.askchrista.com/newsletter/
Tonight's topic is similar to a more personal news letter (August 24th's "The Power of Connections (and coffee)." This time I'm focusing us on the power of connection at the organizational level and from a business-geek's perspective.
Connections are relationships ground in trust, and that's the foundation for all my words in this newsletter. When we feel a genuine connection to colleagues, leaders, and the organization itself, the effects ripple outward in surprising and powerful ways.
Let's talk about why it's so powerful for us good humans, what it enables us to do at work, and why it makes us feel so complete, powerful, and ready to give it our all in the workplace.
The Power of a Deeper Belief in Your Company (and how you become your own best customer)
This isn't about "drinking the juice," but in a lot of ways, it is.
When employees feel connected, when they trust not just the organization but the people inside it, starting with their boss and team, and all the way up, they are more likely to believe deeply in the big vision, the guiding mission, and the products and/or services. If you were to ask them, "would you pay for your product [or service]?," they'd say yes in a heartbeat.
There's research supporting this also:
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Trust is foundational to belief. In organizational literature, trust is widely understood as the willingness to be vulnerable based on confidence in another’s intentions and behaviors (e.g. competence, integrity, benevolence) (Mayer, Davis, & Schoorman, 1995).
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When employees trust their leaders and peers, any gaps or inconsistencies (ex: between claims and actions) become clearer AND they tend to be more forgiving and more invested in resolving them.
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According to Gallup, leaders who are perceived as good listeners, particularly asking for and responding to feedback, dramatically increase trust. That trust then translates into higher retention, discretionary effort (otherwise known as going above and beyond because employees want to-- a key measure of employee engagement), and alignment with purpose (Ratanjee, 2023).
Perhaps you know someone who has or maybe right now GUSHES about their company. THAT is someone who feels connected.
Transparency, speaking up, and asking for help
We hear a lot about transparency from organizations and from leaders, and yes, that is critical. It sets the tone for integrity, respect, performance, compliance, values-based organizations, higher performance (and higher returns).
But what about transparency from employees? That is equally important AND complementary to org / leader transparency.
Employee transparency means employees talk about concerns. They admit mistakes early. They are unafraid of, and embrace, learning through difficult times. They don't default to lying or hiding the issues as their default first option.
(and that's not judging employees who do that-- even good humans will resort to conserving themselves and their wellbeing and their paychecks if they believe truth(s) will put them in harm's way)
True connection means you talk. You share. You admit even if it's embarrassing or you feel terribly uncomfortable after a mistake. And you know you can ask for help if you need it, and you actually ask for help if you need it.
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Amy Edmondson’s work (if you know me you know she's one of my favorites-- please find her work and read it or watch it!!!) emphasizes psychological safety as essential for high-performing teams (Edmonson, 1999; ). She resuscitated the term "psychological safety" with her 1999 seminal paper of how it affects people in the workplace, especially with speaking up.
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But it's not just psychological safety. My own research demonstrates that psychological safety is not a factor when speaking up about a safety and compliance concern: knowledge of regulations is, and a part of that is how they interact with others in the workplace (Dhimo, n.d.). All good things in the workplace tend to grow out of relational trust: knowing that your manager and peers will respond to your concerns or mistakes with curiosity, not punishment.
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Harvard Business Review warns that leaders who withhold transparency or can only tolerate certain "speaking up" behaviors degrade trust and respect over time (Shaw, 2023; Carucci & Robin, 2023). This makes a lot of sense, right? The way to combat it? Connections.
Connection makes work life more fun, human, and meaningful
And beyond performance and safety, connection is simply part of what makes work feel good. That matters for our satisfaction, well-being, fulfillment, and simply wanted to be at work each day.
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Social connections at work have been shown to be positively correlated with job satisfaction. Workers who perceive trust in co-workers and management report higher satisfaction (Birmingham, Holt-Lunstad, Herr, & Barth, 2024)..
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Neuroscience of trust research highlights that strong connection to colleagues (feeling like a contributor, having relational ties) supports higher engagement, which in turn boosts productivity and innovation (HBR, “The Neuroscience of Trust,” 2017).
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When we enjoy interacting with people we trust, days are lighter; difficult conversations are easier; collaboration feels less transactional and more generative.
And in a work-world where remote and hybrid work gives us great quiet time to focus and flex-time to get work done in the balance of our lives, it also blurs when work begins and ends, and we may be at risk of isolation. Having real human connection even virtually and across time zones, is a necessary emotional anchor. (we actually need those at work because good humans need good humans)
Tips and Tricks to Keep Connections Connected...
I'm a natural connector. When I leave an organization or complete a program and say, "Let's stay in touch," I actually mean it, and those who know me know that. I so deeply value connections, and I'm unapologetic and comfortably vulnerable letting others know I'm built that way... which often helps them understand that guess what? They are, too. (and you are, too)
Here are some tips:
- Focus on small rituals of connection: brief check-ins that center more than tasks, remember one important thing for (not just about) your connection each week. If something is important to them, put it in your calendar to remind you to ask them about it.
- Model vulnerability. Let others know how much you appreciate them in the moment. "Hey, I really appreciate our quick chats each week. It clears my mind, gives me new things to consider, always teaches me something new, and refreshes me." You'd be surprised how many people never hear the positive impact they have on others. Be the good human who let's your connections know.
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Learn healthy work relationship and mutuality habits. Workplace connections should include a healthy level of respect to keep that trust in a good place. There should be a mutuality; meaning, you shouldn't always be the one to listen or to speak. With that, you should always understand that at some point, one of your connections may evolve toward different priorities and need to change their frequency of connection or adjust the connection completely.
Watch Out: Be sure to keep these connections in perspective. If the connection was built on mutual trust and you framed it in a healthy, workplace way, it shouldn't feel like a break up. You should be ready to easily and confidently listen to and then adjust with any and all change in the connection because it was built on trust-- and
BOOSTER FOR YOUR WEEK!!!
Navigating Office Politics -- the Great Ginny Clarke!!!
"I came to study failure, to try to figure out what determines success."
That is the first line of the video I'm providing this week, which is the "How to Fail Intelligently" video from the Big Think YouTube Channel. I included this in one of my early episodes about fear of failure, too.
For today's booster, I'm offering a third video: Office Politics: Navigating Power with Integrity (also below).
Enjoy!
And remember, if you have a business challenge or workplace issue... Ask Christa!
REFERENCES
Birmingham, W. C., Holt-Lunstad, J., Herr, R. M., & Barth, A. (2024). Social connections in the workplace. American Journal of Health Promotion, 38(6), 886–891. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171241255204b
Carucci, R., & Robin, C. (2023, August 16). Building a culture where employees feel free to speak up. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2023/08/building-a-culture-where-employees-feel-free-to-speak-up
Dhimo, C. L. (n.d.). Before it becomes a problem: Culture, stress, and participatory voice in highly regulated industries - ProQuest. https://www.proquest.com/openview/b686c8e2cae1e92845ea99a343...
Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2666999
Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 709–734. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1995.9508080335
Ratanjee, V. (2023, September 13). How to build trust in the workplace. Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/393401/trust-decline-rebuild.aspx
Shaw, R. (2023, March 14). When you can’t be transparent with your team. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2023/03/when-you-cant-be-transparent-with-your-team
Zak, P. J. (2017, January–February). The neuroscience of trust. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2017/01/the-neuroscience-of-trust
