Are You Investing Enough in Friendships Outside of Work?

With our arms covered in scratches and a harvest of blackberries in hand, I headed back to my friend’s kitchen on Saturday morning after a long walk.  It’s become a bit of a school holiday tradition: dog walks, followed by coffee in one of our gardens where we chat and make more plans to meet up.

Next up: we had Jasper’s (the dog) 3rd birthday party yesterday. And yes, with good friends, even a dog’s birthday becomes a legitimate social event (especially when the teenagers approve!).

Over the years, our plans have ranged from painting a living room together, trekking in Nepal to simple meetups for coffee and cake with babies and toddlers in tow.  We’ve navigated adventures and challenges and shared celebrations.

We all know that to function and perform well, managing stress is central. And one of the most effective ways? Connection with others.

Most of my clients, regardless of personality or leadership style, tell me the same thing: they need people around them whom they trust and connect with.

But in executive roles, that kind of connection at work can be hard to come by.

You can feel like you're carrying (or should carry?) everything alone or that you shouldn’t burden others or that you should maintain a little bit of distance. 

If your teams are global or work often from home, the opportunities to connect can feel further reduced.

Of course, connecting with others at work is vital.

However here’s a gentle reminder: connection doesn’t have to only come from work.

For many of my clients, they notice that they’re not spending as much time as they would like with friends or investing in friendships, both old and new.  When they decide to reach out to friends, their reaction is usually that they wished they’d done it sooner. 

It’s a small change with high impact. 

This holiday season, why not consider investing more intentionally in your friendships outside of work?

Keep it simple. Keep it fun. Keep it easy.

A cycle in the woods, a chat over coffee, a plan to watch the rugby - or even a dog’s birthday party!