Healthy Habits — Nurture Theory Journal

**This piece was originally published by The Portland Business Journal on December 6, 2023.

Put this on blast: in-person work is an X-factor and a huge competitive advantage – today more than ever.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for every individual, team and organization, I’ve come to terms with the fact that some form of in-person connection (ie: people working in the same room together), whenever feasible, offers a huge advantage for individuals, teams, and organizations of all shapes and sizes. It’s an absolute x-factor. Perhaps it’s kind of like broccoli: you may not always like it, but it’s hard to deny broccoli is good for you.

To be clear, I’m not here to debate remote work versus in-person, versus hybrid or anything like that. All options are reasonable to explore and try, depending on the role, function, core values, workplace culture, etc. I’m simply making a case for the tremendous upside in-person connection has on teams and organizations.

We’re one year into our latest evolution of a hybrid work concept at my company and I’ve learned a ton. While 30% of our staff work remotely spread across the country, 70% of our staff are based in Portland, Oregon where our HQ is located. These folks work in-office, in-sync with their respective team one day a week, while some choose to come in more frequently, and leaders work in-office 3-4 days a week. Teams sync-up for weekly meetings and other internal rhythms, while our distributed (aka remote) team members Zoom-in regularly.

What I’ve observed over the past year has been nothing short of mind blowing. Every day, without exception, I witness some kind of “magic moment” – and it’s the kind of stuff that can’t easily happen working remote through screens. I observe people going out for coffee, taking walks and having lunch together. I witness teammates tackling challenges in an organic, impromptu manner – whether in passing, in a conference room or in the kitchen. Perhaps the best part – there’s unexpected social, creative and intellectual “collisions” regularly happening before and after meetings, or while making coffee – magic moments that aren’t possible working remote through glowing screens. Once you see it in action, you can’t unsee it. It’s pure magic. It’s special. It’s a clear competitive advantage. And as a leader/nerd, it’s super cool to witness.

Apparently I’m not the only one feeling the impact of this “together is better” phenomenon. A recent MIT research study found that social bonds between co-workers is critical for innovation, creativity and team chemistry — and is best cultivated by some measure of IRL, in-the-same-room connection. Whether working in-office once a week, once a month, or even once a year, in-person connection creates powerful opportunities to deepen chemistry, build trust among teammates, boost creativity and innovation, and create a special kind of magic that simply isn't possible working through glowing screens and messaging apps.

An organization's purpose and values can be a helpful compass for finding the best approach. My company is a Certified B Corp and our stated purpose is to “Be Community.” In 2023 alone, our people got on airplanes every month, taking more than 30 in-person trips across the globe, traveling far and wide, to build authentic face-to-face connections, including more than 300 in-person client meetings. Throughout the year we threw parties, hosted learning events, community and industry mixers, plus all of the typical kinds of internal happy hours, quarterly All Hands, and annual retreats you can imagine.

Real human connection is the center of who we are. And objectively speaking, we’ve experienced healthy year-over-year growth in 2023. The impact is real.

Remember that old saying, “there's no i in team”? Contemporary business genius Reid Hoffman once quipped, “No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team." If one’s primary case for remote work is all about you – your individual comfort, your commute, your preferences or personality type, your productivity, your boundaries, and all of your personal needs – I would encourage you to take a beat to reflect.

Sure, you’ve eliminated your commute and can work in sweatpants, run errands and take personal appointments with less hassle. But what kind of chemistry and energy are you building with your team? How many unexpected creative and intellectual collisions are happening before and after meetings, or perhaps in the kitchen? Are you able to have passionate conversations and share new ideas on the fly? Are your new hires learning by osmosis – by just being in the same room and overhearing conversations? Are you satisfied living within the limits of a glowing screen, supported by digital calendar reminders telling you when to talk, who to talk to, and what to talk about?

If you truly believe in the impact derived from building strong teams and culture, consider the possibility that what's best for someone individually might not always be what’s best for the team. The world’s highest performing teams always have a “team first” mindset. "Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships." - Michael Jordan

There's also something to be said about growing a career through in-person connection. Whether we're talking about co-workers, clients, bosses, industry networking, future opportunities or the broader community, there're so many advantages to getting into the same room with people. Yes, especially early in one’s career – but IRL connection is equally impactful for seasoned professionals too.

As teams and companies emerge from a long season of a pandemic-induced remote work world, perhaps the most important concept that needs to be put on blast is the tremendous advantage of getting into the same room with other humans. While there’s no prescriptive, right or wrong way to do it, it’s a clear competitive advantage, today more than ever.

So simple, yet so easy to miss in a modern world.

- RW

**This piece was originally published by The Portland Business Journal on December 6, 2023.

As I type this, I’m on a three-day solo retreat in the Columbia River Gorge. It’s an annual ritual I’ve developed over the years to find some space, reflect, reset and redefine my habits, goals and intentions for the year ahead.

In other words, it’s how I wake-up from The Matrix – the mindless trance most of us are trapped inside of, due to a constant deluge of inputs, feeds, streams and the nonstop stimulus to our souls. Thanks to works like Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, I’ve become acutely aware of how humans aren’t good at slowing down, being quiet and embracing the wonders of solitude. Some have even argued solitude is becoming extinct.

To be clear, taking long walks with your earbuds in isn’t solitude. Long drives while listening to music, podcasts or audiobooks isn’t solitude either. Spending a lazy Saturday afternoon alone on the couch while binge-watching Friends or soccer isn’t solitude. Enjoyable? Sure. Solitude? No way.

Solitude is best defined as “freedom from inputs from other minds.” Props to Georgetown University Professor and leading thinker on minimalism, Cal Newport, for distilling it. In his research, Newport discovered regular doses of solitude are crucial for the effective and resilient functioning of your brain.

During my annual retreat ritual, I block out all possible distractions and inputs, reflecting and thinking deeply about who I am, who I want to be, and getting clear about what really matters. I do some pen-to-paper exercises around what worked and what didn’t work during the past year. Perhaps you’ve heard of the “Start/Stop/Continue” framework? Just as important as finding some big, game-changing ideas, it’s equally important to look for opportunities to say no and simply create more open space…to think.

While on retreats I prioritize sleep, I run and hike and soak or perhaps get a massage. It’s quiet time. Alone time. Solitude. It’s a rare opportunity to slow down, look out at the horizon and think deeply.

I also try to build-in smaller, abbreviated versions of this practice during my regular days and weeks – and that’s helpful too. But it’s not the same. Three solid days away provides the ideal situation for me to go deep. Perhaps it’s not too different from Bill Gates “Think Weeks.”

We aren’t really using our brains while we’re receiving all those inputs – and we’re practically getting them 24/7. Believe it or not, you’re not getting that much smarter while doing all that reading, podcasting, and binge-watching, either. Sure, you’re learning a few things. And perhaps it’s enjoyable. But be honest with yourself – you’re not exactly thinking deeply or wrestling with any of it.

The real question to ask is, what are you doing with all of the information you’re taking in? What are all of these inputs and information doing for your life? What’s the tangible impact? Stop lying to yourself. Show me.

Furthering this modern mental epidemic is what we’re doing in the margins – those little blips of time in between things. I’m talking about virtually anytime we're waiting, in the bathroom, before and after meetings and calls, or perhaps whenever we feel that little buzz in the pocket. Our “margin time” is being mindlessly co-opted by our devices, feeds, news and social media trash. If you feel me, you’re in the matrix.

To truly flex that supercomputer between your ears, you need solitude. There’s no way around it.

Quiet. Stillness. No inputs. And most importantly, you need the quiet time and space to consider, contemplate, try-on, and wrestle with ideas, dreams, beliefs, conflicts, and those big, important life questions like “who am I?” and “what do I want to accomplish this year?”

The only way to truly experience real, deep thinking is to turn off all inputs. Period.

Franciscan monk and author, Richard Rohr, said it best, “In our busy, frenetic world, it’s easy to slip into a mode of living that looks and feels a lot like autopilot. We go through the motions, move through our calendars, and rinse and repeat each day.”

Now stop for a moment and imagine what life could look like if you actually had a plan. Consider what you could achieve if you set clear goals for your year. Think about the impact of having every hour of every day planned and accounted for, as a result of deep thought and intention.

This doesn’t mean you can’t have a lazy Saturday afternoon binge-watching Friends or watching soccer. Everyone needs a few days like that, no doubt. It just means you’re doing that with intention and it’s part of your plan, not because you mindlessly ended up on the couch because you were feeling burnt-out and saw a meme on Instagram about self care.

A famous person once told me that every day when he wakes up, he sits on the edge of his bed for a minute and contemplates “who am I and what will I accomplish today?” I have to admit, I rolled my eyes when I heard that for the first time.

Then I got a little older and a little grayer. And now I’ve more or less adopted that daily practice for myself, along with magic mornings. And guess what? It works. It all really works.

There’s many ways to do this kind of work. My mentor, Mario Schulzke, has a 600 square-foot log cabin in deep, rural Montana. Nothing fancy. No electricity. No running water. The only possible distractions are weather and bears. That’s solitude. Another mentor of mine, Chris Corbin, has an old Toyota pickup truck and pulls a simple fiberglass row boat behind it. Nothing fancy. And wherever he floats, he finds solitude, and thinks deeply about life, love, work… and bull trout.

Solitude provides the opportunity for deep thought, critical thinking and resilient brain function. Which allows for the forging of one’s own beliefs, intentions and specific plans. Followed by healthy habits and steady practice, leads to action. Which leads to impact. Which leads to meaning and feelings of joy and gratitude. Which wakes you up from the matrix.