Creating opportunities for ‘authentic human interactions…’

The other day I was talking to a promising ex-student of mine. She was in the most animate manner telling me how exciting her new job was. Then in the middle of our conversation she stopped all of a sudden and said that despite ample learning opportunities she felt isolated and lonely. She was working with an offsite team and most of her communication with them was through mails or calls.
Technology has assumed a very large and important position in our lives. We can talk, respond and work at our will-according to our convenience. In doing so, we many a times forget the importance of face to face communication with others. The magic of physical presence of others, sharing the same space with them and being a recipient of significant others emotional and intellectual attention is increasingly being discounted.
So the next time when someone walks in our room, lets for that brief moment stop checking our mails, put down all work at hand and focus on the person. Lets give them that brief moment of undivided attention that we as humans crave for. Lets give the other the joy of being there with them. Lets give them what in a true sense is ‘company’. It is in moments like these that we realise our combined potential- in the simple act of understanding and relating to each other.
While we may agree that technology cannot replace human contact, as managers, leaders, employers and employees we need to realise the strong human need to be with others and make it authentically happen.
