How Leaders Build Connection on Their Team

Almost every day, I just have to have it. On my drive into the office, I pass the first one with ease, the second one gets harder, but by the third, my car pulls in seemingly on its own. Starbucks’ americano is a powerful drug. 

On one particular day, after picking up my coffee, I walked out of the store only to run into a gentleman I see there daily, engaged in conversation with other “regulars.” 

As I passed him, I noticed something odd. He was walking in with a full cup of coffee in a styrofoam cup. At first, I didn’t think anything of it. But then it hit me. He doesn’t go to Starbucks for the coffee; he goes for the connection and community.  

The need for connection and community isn’t confined to your local Starbucks. It’s important at work too. Facebook Executives Lori Goler, Jane Gale, and Brynn Harrington conducted research in 2018 to uncover what employees value most at the technology titan. After examining hundreds of thousands of answers over and over again, they identified three big buckets of motivators: career, community, and cause.