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The Power of Connection in a Transactional World

amysundermann

When I started my career at the Leo Burnett advertising agency, our onboarding included watching a reel of the company’s work. Among the cowboys and cartoon characters Burnett was famous for, there was an ad for United Airlines that has been on my mind a lot lately. In it, the boss is announcing to his staff that they’ve been fired by one of their clients. Fired for a lack of connection. A lack of human touch.

 

I’ll ask you to look past the fact that the only woman in the ad is the secretary and it features a whole lot of middle aged white men in ties that no one wears anymore. Let’s focus on the message. Way back in 1990, relationships were becoming transactional. And it’s only gotten worse. “Just getting the exchange done”  permeates our politics, our communities, and our daily lives. People are lonelier than they’ve ever been. While remote work options and AI assistants have made some people’s lives easier, they have also removed the human connections that give people the temperament and tools to solve problems in a way that feels concrete, lasting, and meaningful. And human connection can be even more important when the answer is, “no.”

 

This week, I had two customer service interactions, and both ended in me not getting exactly what I wanted. But in both cases, I talked to a human being who expressed understanding and empathy for my issue and genuinely tried to help. I left both of those conversations feeling better than when they started, and having a better opinion of the businesses I was dealing with.  

 

In my work with the Russell Williams Group, we operate under the guiding principle that “Strategy is Human.” Once upon a time that may have been viewed as a rather “woo- woo” way of looking at the world. But human connections are more important now than ever, and more at risk. AI tools are here to stay. Remote work is the way of the world. In a time where efficiency and productivity are driving the train, corporate leaders would be well served to remember that the human touch still matters and a culture of empathy is a powerful differentiator for employees and customers alike.

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