Intimacy….. of the professional kind

by | Aug 22, 2018

So I had a little rant on LinkedIn the other day. Actually, maybe less rant, more setting expectations.

It was about me only connecting with people I have met or had an exchange with personally. I believe LinkedIn is about connections, not contacts and the purpose is to have a network of trusted people that you can recommend, and who will do the same for you. If you have all of these ‘contacts’ you don’t know, how can you recommend them having no clue about their professional reputation?

The process of getting to know people enough to count them in your circle or tribe can take awhile, or a short time. I believe the fast track to meaningful connection is intimacy – professional intimacy. Showing your true self – being authentic, ensuring you give them (and yourself) a safe space to be vulnerable, staying true to your word, respecting their choices without judgement and adding value to the conversation – it could be helping advance their career, offering up a great book in their interest area or just being a listening ear.

These are just a few steps to building intimacy. Of the professional kind.

As HR professionals, we need to build professional intimacy – its the basis of trust. And to be effective in our roles, we need to be trusted. We need to be credible. We need to have an orientation toward helping others, authentically and with the best possible outcome for all at the centre.

Search

Recent Posts

Subscribe

You may also like…

Priming your Team for Performance and High Potential

Priming your Team for Performance and High Potential

If you are from Melbourne Australia, you know how lucky we are to have the Australian Open on our doorstep. Now I am not a big fan of tennis, but I do like to watch live games and be around the atmosphere of the Open. You might be wondering why I’m talking about...

What is the role of the leader in crafting culture?

What is the role of the leader in crafting culture?

I have been predominantly working in the space of culture over the last year as we face into challenges like reconnecting our teams, re-designing ways of working for our hybrid environments and resetting our boundaries  I was asked on a podcast interview recently...

Certainty Down, Communication Up

Certainty Down, Communication Up

When certainty goes down, communication should go up. During times of uncertainty, people will make up their own version of the truth in order to create certainty-even if it's not true or practical. It’s a human need to want a level of certainty, and some people...