"The limits of good contact are in the mind, not in the type of encounter." - Stefan Heer

Social proximity despite physical distance is possible, but it works differently. And we have to learn. Here are some inspirations.


Symptoms

Is there often the feeling that 

  • is only possible physically?
  • to be isolated?
  • only notice very little of the employees?
  • that the personal aspect is given far too little attention?
  • being slowed down as a manager from a distance?
  • have a rather negative attitude towards new technologies and the associated changes?
  • they are forced to adapt to technological changes?

If one or more questions have been answered with yes, it is high time to change something. We show not only why, but also how.


Background

My great-grandmother didn't really trust the telephone. Why? She was a "telecoms immigrant". In other words, telephoning was not their "mother tongue". However, we all grew up with the telephone; telephoning is our "mother tongue". In modern parlance, we are "telephone natives".

 

But many of us are immigrants leading at a distance. This language is new to us and we have to learn it painstakingly. We think: "It's impossible to have good contact via these new-fangled digital channels". A mistake in thinking. We just don't speak the language that well yet.


Antidote

Get in touch step by step:

 

--> Consider the following steps: Taking notes and visualising helps!

 

  • Who would you like to get in touch with?
  • What is the aim of this, what do you want to achieve with it?
  • How would you physically get in touch with this person?
  • Which of your thoughts on step 3 are also possible at a distance?
  • What do you need to adjust so that you can reach your goal at a distance? And what do these adjustments look like?
  • Attack - turn your thoughts into reality.

 

Important! The following three points should be considered:

 

The challenge should be chosen wisely:

Establishing contact at a distance is possible, but it works differently. A certain degree of flexibility is required to build up this expertise step by step  .

 

You should go into the learning zone (but no further):

Go to your limits, but not beyond them. This is not that difficult to find: You should consider the maximum amount that can go wrong. 

 

Have a plan B ready:

A retreat strategy can be enormously helpful in order to be able to dare a little more. Good strategies here are, for example, to declare a new type of communication as an experiment. Experiments are allowed to fail


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