Trying to keep up with the rules of engagement in a world that is rapidly becoming digital can feel overwhelming. But the underlying rules for relationship success are timeless. How do growing organizations apply those rules as they transform into a digital workplace and use modern marketing channels?

Sadly, most of them don't. Gallup reported in their “State of the American Workplace” that 70% of employees are disengaged.  And recent studies point out that most projects aimed at improving the customer and employee experience meet with failure.

The good news is that the 5 timeless rules for individual relationship success can be scaled to work in the modern workplace, but it does take discipline and a new perspective.

1. Listen

Great connectors listen. They listen to what is and isn’t said: words, subtle nuances, body language, eye contact. And they remember: facts, names, stories and ideas are all stored in their head.

The same is true in the workplace. Data is the collective memory of an organization. The most effective organizations make it easy to add to - and to access - this memory. Their people can easily find everything that they need to get their jobs done. Most organizations make this process too difficult - ZD Net reports that the average employee has to use 25 applications to get their jobs done!

“People should feel like technology is being made to work for them. Instead, they often feel they are being made to work for technology.” Tweet This

And that’s a shame.  People should feel like technology is being made to work for them. Instead, they often feel they are being made to work for technology.

2. Understand

Stephen Covey famously said, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”

You know them.  That select group of people that “get” you.  They spend time thinking about others. They analyze. They have empathy. They ask questions and invest time in understanding your story.

In the workplace, understanding is the analysis step.

But analyzing data can be a complex challenge.  The digital universe is doubling in size every 2 years (EMC, “The Digital Universe of Opportunities”).  Organizations that understand their employees and customers are organizations that have harnessed the ability capture the right data (both quantitative and qualitative), extract insights from that data, and innovate faster than their competitors.

3. Connect

The best connectors in the world make it look effortless.  And that’s the problem. Connectors have developed their skills through a lifetime of learning and refining good habits – not luck.

In the same way, consistently creating engaged employees and great customer experiences is the result of intentional processes.  Processes are the wheels of successful relationships, technology is the engine to scale these processes to a large workforce, and leadership is the driver.

“Leadership must embrace a new way of leading or technology investments, like a car without a driver, will cause more harm than good.” Tweet This

Today organizations are investing billions of dollars into technology – but that’s not the biggest problem.  Relationship processes are different than other business processes, and they require a unique combination of flexibility and rigidity.  Technology investments, without leadership that embraces a new way of leading, is like a car without a driver - it causes more harm than good.

4. Know

The best relationship builders are always improving.  They measure results consciously and unconsciously.  They continue to get more successful because they never stop learning from their failures.

Measuring and sharing the score in the workplace can be difficult.  But it's not the hardest part.

The hard part? Dealing with failure.

When we’re talking about improving, what we’re really talking about is learning from our failures.  Knowing the results and constantly improving requires transparency, vulnerability and introspection. These are challenging organizational concepts, but critical for continuous innovation.

5. Good LUCK

The best connectors approach life and relationships with a people-centric sense of purpose. They balance serving other people with passionately and unapologetically pursuing their own goals.

“Leaders never forget that people are the most important thing, and that they are one of those people.” Tweet This

Organizations constantly struggle to balance their needs (such as profit) with the needs of the people that they serve.

Got LUCK?

Listen, Understand, Connect, Know … LUCK.

Every way we interact can benefit from applying The LUCK Principle: from company meetings to social channel engagement, and everything in between.

The good news? Digital marketing and workplace tools make it possible to effectively scale LUCK more effectively than ever before.

The bad news? Digital marketing and workplace tools make it possible to de-humanize the workplace more effectively than ever before.

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