The Chain of Camaraderie (Guest Post)

The following is an excerpt from Find the Fire by Scott Mautz- enjoy!

THE CHAIN OF CAMARADERIE

By Scott Mautz

If we were disconnected from our nuclear family, it would weigh on us tremendously, making it almost impossible to feel inspired each day. This isn’t hard to understand given how sacred we hold the family unit (even after they’ve told us for the ninth time how to live our life).

Interestingly enough, research indicates that we’re actually spending more time with coworkers than family though; true of almost 80 percent of people who work thirty to fifty hours a week. So, it’s probably not surprising that research also indicates we’re increasingly viewing our co-workers as direct extensions of our family.

By default then, being disconnected from our co-workers is growing increasingly problematic for us.

And when we do truly connect with our work compatriots, research clearly indicates that it can indeed make us more passionate about and inspired by our work. These stronger one-to-one connections add up to a greater whole as well. Studies show that top rated places to work (with an inherently inspired work force) share a sense of camaraderie as a key ingredient in their success formula.

Furthermore, neuroscience research indicates that our brains are actually hard-wired to connect with others, so being disconnected from co-workers is not only an inspiration-killer, it’s fighting mother nature itself.

That might explain the astounding “add-on” effects of camaraderie in the workplace; 40 percent of survey respondents named their co-workers as the top reason they love working for their company, 66 percent said those positive relationships increased their productivity, and 55 percent said they helped mitigate their on-the-job stress levels. 45 percent said that camaraderie with co-workers led to more Xerox-facilitated pictures of butts.

Another study showed that the factor most closely linked to physical and mental health at work is the support of co-workers – and not things you’d expect like the number of hours worked.

The key, then, is the strength of the connection that you forge with your co-workers. Even if you wouldn’t call yourself disconnected, there is always room to strengthen the bond – like in all those buddy-cop movies. To induce inspiration and beyond requires going beyond – from mere collaboration to camaraderie.

About Scott Mautz

Scott is the CEO of Profound Performance – a keynote, workshop, coaching, and online training company that helps you “Work, Lead, & Live Fulfilled”. He is also a Procter & Gamble veteran who ran several of the company’s largest multi-billion dollar businesses, including their single largest, a $3 Billion Dollar division.  At P&G, Scott consistently transformed business results and organizational/cultural health scores along with it.

Author of upcoming book, Find the Fire: Ignite Your Inspiration and Make Work Exciting Again, and award-winning keynote speaker and author of Make it Matter: How Managers Can Motivate by Creating Meaning, a book that’s been named “The 2016 Leadership Book of the Year – First Runner Up” by Leadership & Management Books and a “Best 30 Book of the Year” by Soundview Business Books.