Six-Week Sprint # 2: See and Be Seen--Meet the Moment, August 7, 2022

​In order to build strong relationships, it’s important to get out of your office. At the same time (let’s be honest) you have more than enough work to keep you at your desk for days. There are concrete ways to make sure your time outside of your office is well spent. Follow our three tips to make the most of your time this week.

Tip 1:  Make a list. Don’t walk the halls randomly. Take a few minutes to sit down and make a list of the people you want to connect with. You’ll want to give priority to new community members, as well as faculty and staff who had a difficult time in the previous academic year. Remember that these interactions are visits, not observations.

Tip 2:  Schedule time. Far too often, getting out of the office is seen as “nice to do” instead of “need to do.” Schedule times to walk around school, and then pencil in the folks you want to visit. Give people a heads up:  “I set aside some time to walk around campus on Tuesday. I noticed you’re teaching at that time–would it be okay if I popped in for a few minutes to watch?”
 
Tip 3:  Close the loop. Save a few minutes at the end of your time to jot down notes about the highlights. Then make sure you let your colleagues know about the good work you saw, whether that’s through a written message or a quick chat in the hallway. (You can use that list from Tip 1 to make sure you connect with each person you’ve seen.)