The impact of seeing and engaging with others

By Lisa Seppala, MBA, BComm, ACC, PHS (Adv Cert)

Have you ever had a day where everything seemed to fall into place, and you felt completely on top of your game?

I recently had one of those days.

When you hear the phrase ‘on top of my game,’ you immediately think of individual performance, but I felt that way because of how others engaged with me.

If observed by others, my day would have appeared like a typical, uneventful day, but from how I felt, it was fabulous.

I did all the usual stuff (walking the dog, running errands, meeting with clients) but then had four interactions that made a significant difference in my day.

• The first was with a friend and colleague who texted me an uplifting tune and later asked for assistance with a team-building tool. I felt connected and valued.
• The second was a virtual client meeting where I was impressed by the caliber of the people I’m privileged to work with. I felt motivated and engaged.
• The third was with my sister-in-law, who works in the same field – we shared personal updates and professional learnings during a virtual call. I felt I was a member of a team.
• The fourth was a virtual call with my friend and mountain-biking buddy, who I was long overdue to connect with, and we started to make plans for a mountain-biking weekend. I felt excited with anticipation for our planned rides.

In addition to these interactions, all the people I crossed paths with in person during the day – walking the dog and running errands – were pleasant and engaging. I felt grateful to live where I do through every exchange.

All these exchanges made me feel more confident, engaged, and happy.

While I hope others felt similarly after engaging with me, this article isn’t about me. It’s about illustrating how you can impact others in your life just by showing up, contributing, and engaging with them. As I can attest, with simple, everyday interactions, you can make others feel valued, motivated and like contributing team members.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association’s 2019 article “The importance of human connection,” “Research shows us that loneliness is on the rise, and that a lack of human connection can be more harmful to your health than obesity, smoking and high blood pressure.”

In sharing my experiences, I purposely demonstrated how my interactions with others were virtual and in-person. While face-to-face communication is natural and needed, that doesn’t mean you have to wait for it to happen. Technology can help us stay connected. And while you may not be fully aware of the impressions you leave, how present you are during that in-person or virtual connection and how you engage with others can have a lasting impact.