Using connection momentum to combine internal and external expectations

Two worlds

The world of business relationships can be viewed in two ways. There’s an internal world and an external world. The internal is all about interpersonal dynamics and communication; how effectively does your team operate? How can the team communicate more efficiently? How does the business support the people that are responsible for its survival?

And then there is an external world. The “client” facing side of the business. The external world does not look at the internal world, it is interested in the same questions as the internal one but for the paying client rather than the employee. And yet, the external face of the business is still just as reliant on effective communication and valuable relationships as the internal one.

So how does a business align these two faces? Is there a methodology that can apply for both employee and customer? The answer is yes. The answer is: they must.

How can we create meaningful connections at scale?

If a business wants to scale effectively than the employees and operating mechanics of the business must serve the clients needs while also meeting expectations. We all know that the buzzword “teambuilding” is supposed to do this. But how? How can we facilitate teambuilding while meeting customer expectations?

This is where connection momentum comes in.

Connection Momentum

Connection momentum is a mindset. It is a practise. It is a way of branching out a behaviour so that it affects all people. It is idealistic but so is perpetual growth using finite resources; it doesn’t stop us from trying. Very simply: if you are able to connect with two people, and in doing so inspire them to connect with two people, then you are able to connect everyone. A ripple effect begins to take hold and your business, team, or company aligns its focus toward connection rather than outcome. It is like a meme. A meme can spread like wildfire through the popular consciousness. The desire for connection can do the same thing within a group of people.

So what is connection momentum? In short, it is a hybrid methodology of facilitating meaningful experiences in an efficient and time-sensitive manner. As a team-building company, we are constantly looking for ways to facilitate these connections. However, our opportunities are often limited in time. Meaningful moments tend to take time to create, and even more to maintain. 

But by hacking the process and analysing what is important, we have developed a methodology to facilitate meaningful connections with the limited time. As is often written about in the Banana Life blog, these approaches involve building trust, creating autonomy, playing with purpose, and being authentic. 

It ain’t always easy

We don’t always get it right of course. It is a delicate recipe and too much of one flavour can overshadow the other. But with experience, we have discovered that by using play to build trust and exercise autonomy we can connect with each other using laughter, competition and collaboration.

Our purpose is simple: to make every workplace a more appealing place to work. We are less interested in increasing sales or incentivising employees to work harder. We know the stats, a team that is autonomous, supportive, and can actively play together makes a better business. In short: engaged employees are good for business. So our purpose is to facilitate connection, to create laughter, and create shared experiences. We want to create stories so that the employees of a business feel important, trusted, and look forward to collaborating. Just like our clients.

So, how do you build connection momentum? 

You must be the change you want to see. Lead by example. Go to the extra effort to connect with the people in your team in a personal way. If they tell you that they love a certain football team then buy them tickets to a game. Find out what is important to the people who rely on you and deliver them a message that says “I heard you, I appreciate you, I trust you”. It can be a small token but by connecting personally with your team, with your customers, with the people in your life then you are showing them how to build connection momentum.

It is no secret. And it is simple. Connection momentum is about appreciating the people that help you become better at what you’re good at. It’s about hearing the needs and wants of those around you and responding to that. The sales, the outcomes, the bookings will follow because what you’re doing is establishing a simple message: you care, and you can be trusted.