Maintaining open lines of communication

Now that you’ve built connections across the system, you’ve opened lines of communication with a diverse array of stakeholders. Here we describe several things to think about when maintaining the connections you’ve established:

• Send personal invitations for project reviews and public share-outs.

• Give people your card and encourage them to reach out to you.

• Call “sneezers” and other staff when you have questions they might be able to answer. Engage them and ask for their advice and help. This isn’t being a bother. This is building a relationship. In Austin, we’ve found that most people don’t get phone calls at work anymore and people are often surprised when they do. It’s also an efficient way to ping someone with a quick question and lets you visit with them briefly at the same time.

• When you make the first move to reach out, you will show staff that you meant it when you told them to reach out to you. When they have concerns or questions, they are more likely to express those to you. And when they do, recognize their feedback as valuable intel that helps the team do better work, even if you’re not going to resolve an issue in the way that person requested.