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Dan's Biz Bookshelf: Back to Human—How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation

We are now in our third year of work isolation. Many of us have not been in an office or other workplace since March 2020. The current thought is that up to 40% of us will never go back to the way life once was. We have discovered that in many ways, working remotely works just fine.

But it also means that we are not connecting without technology. Many of us have not physically seen our co-workers for over two years.

This new situation has worked for many of us, and some of it has changed the way we do business forever. But while technology has created an illusion that today’s workers are highly connected to one another, it is just not true. Workers are starting to feel a strong sense of being isolated from their colleagues, so they must find ways to overcome this sense of isolation. We will have to find new and effective ways to connect our teams to one another.

That’s why this new book is so important. Author Dan Schawbel shares his thoughts on how we can connect, communicate, and share in this new world order. Back to Human will help you to decide when and how to use technology to build better work-life connections. It shows us how to increase our connections to one another rather than further fueling our isolation.

With connectivity and teamwork comes all the attributes and values of a great team. One of the most provocative and valuable sections of the book is how teams can come together by practicing shared learning.

The author states, “When you’re actively helping your teammates, you become a role model for how they can learn and support one another.”

Here are five ways the author suggests a team can come together and work more effectively:

1. Ask for and give feedback.
2. Track accomplishments.
3. Be flexible.
4. Have a positive attitude.
5. Promote the expertise of experts.

And these are just a few great suggestions and ideas to bring your isolated team members together in a wonderfully productive way. Please buy and read this book, if for yourself, but for your co-workers and your company’s sake as well.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.

Back To Human: How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation

Author: Dan Schawbel

Copyright: 2019 by De Capo Press New York, New York

Pages: 246 pages

Price: $16