Connector Field Notes #10
On leaving wiggle room in the day to stop and chat
I often reflect upon the outsized impact of seemingly small choices.
We stopped at a coffee shop on the way to the grocery store on a recent Sunday, and happened to run into a friend who had picked that coffee shop to work from that afternoon. It turned into an impromptu catch up, which delayed the rest of our errands but was absolutely worth it.
We arrived at the coffee shop later than planned in the first place because of an unexpected FaceTime call from another state. Also worth it.
The choice to take the call. The choice to stop for a snack at a neighborhood spot. Our friend’s choice to work from that coffee shop. The choice to sit and chat. The call and the remote work enabled by technology, layered with the decidedly offline experience of sitting and chatting in a coffee shop.
A day with the wiggle room to say yes to spontaneous moments of connection is a good day.
What are the chances?
The precision of timing required to run into someone by chance somewhere that you’re both just passing through for a moment- the lobby, the sidewalk, the elevator- is a funny thing. It imbues meaning into what are essentially coincidences, and you’ll never know if maybe you would have run into a different person in a different spot if you had left later or turned a couple blocks sooner.
These pass through locations also serve as a central point in common. Every person arriving at the gym will pass by the front desk, whether they’re there for a group class, the treadmill, or the weight room. Employees of different departments and levels likely still share the same elevators.
The real trick is putting yourself in the same places in the same communities often enough that no matter what time it is or what route you’re taking, you’re likely to run into someone you know.
First impressions are hybrid now
On a recent evening, there was a new person who arrived at yoga at the same time I did for class. I observed (and sometimes jumped in to facilitate) his experience finding the entrance, checking in for class, and finding his way around the studio.
How does your community welcome and orient someone new to your space?
A person’s first experience with a run club, a yoga studio, or a coworking space is a hybrid one. Maybe they signed up on an app, booked a seat or a spot on their phone, found the meetup schedule on Instagram or in a WhatsApp group.
Then they showed up in person. Were the wayfinding signs clear? Did the person at the front desk know they were new? Did others in the community feel enough shared stewardship of the space to be welcoming and helpful?
Was their end to end experience across the digital and physical worlds a positive one? Positive enough to make them want to come back?