Years ago I was sharing a stage at a corporate event at Microsoft HQ (the only woman across 3 days of speakers, FYI) on a panel discussion with the head of Cloud computing at the time. He enthusiastically described all the ways the digital cloud would enable the tech advances we’ve been envisioning, from autonomous vehicles to smart toothbrushes. As he went on to paint a picture of a gloriously technologically connected future, I wondered and then asked the room: what is the equivalent of the “human cloud”? Meaning, how are we leveling up to meet the demands and expectations of this digital world? What is the equivalent accelerant for us??
What I realized I meant by that spontaneous question is how strong is our ability to connect, collaborate and care for each other... and ourselves? And why does this matter?
Though a fundamental part of being a happy human, feeling connected is a key component to handling change, being comfortable in diverse environments, and being confident expressing a new/creative idea — all of which are critical. And yet the stats are terrible!
40% of CEO’s report feeling alone and 67% of us ate lunch at our desks, alone. For the first time, in the US there are more single person HH than married ones and family sizes are shrinking. And our communal social structures are taking a hit as the gig economy and entrepreneurship grows while church-going and club membership decline.
The issue of connection scopes even more broadly as we examine our ability to collaborate, both inside and outside our organizations. Building eco-systems of support—even with competitors—is the only way to navigate the level of change, and the data shows there is so much untapped potential!
In this conversation we speak with Erica Dhawan, CEO Cotential, and Douglas Rushkoff, Media Theorist and best-selling author, about being Connected versus Alone.
This series is based on the #1 bestselling book by Nancy Giordano: Leadering. The Ways Visionary Leaders Play Bigger.