Hey, Josh. How are you today? 

I'm okay. I feel like I'm running ragged today. I mean, it's, it's a good day. It's not, it's not like a bad day, but I just feel like I haven't, I like the brain hasn't worked. It's all been just sort of like, do. 

Mm, 

yes, I have access to your schedule and I see your schedule, and that does not surprise me.

Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it's been a good day. It's been a good day though. How about you? How are you doing? 

Um, doing good. Doing good. It is, uh, sunny, sunny and warm here in Florida, which is great. And that is because I am at my desk and in my office because the minute that I leave my desk and go outside, it will do that raining in the afternoon thing, so that's coming.

Um, but at the moment it's kind of nice out, which is nice. Doing good. 

That's awesome. Mm-hmm. That's awesome. I'm, uh, I'm getting on a plane here after we record this to fly to Houston, so I'm gonna get to experience just a, I don't know, I feel like a version of what you live in. 

It's definitely the humidity, the things that I've noticed and, you know, in all of our visits to Texas, right?

When we go to conferences and, um, and whatnot, it's definitely still the humidity, but the thing that. We get in Florida that you may not get in. Houston is the breeze that goes with that because you've got all the concrete and all the buildings and all the city. Yeah, and you still got that heat and humidity.

Here. In here where I am in Florida, we do get that little bit of a breeze, which is like a. Godsend, right? Like, oh, thank goodness. And that was the one big difference. 'cause I remember being, um, in Texas just recently, we were there for what? A VMA or something. And I was so hot, which was silly because Hall the air doesn't move.

Yes. Why is the air, air not 

moving? Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That that's not fun. It's not fun. 

Yes. Fun, fun. But it doesn't snow. So there's that. 

So there's that. 

I'm really excited about this episode today because it is about something that I get silly, silly, silly, excited about. Yeah, 

and it's 

something that is deceptively teeny, tiny and small, but it packs a really massive cultural punch.

And today I would love to talk with you more about high quality connections. 

Oh yeah. 

No, it is not the high quality connection that where you have your patient's fluid line and it's piggybacked in with the right CRI and the extension sets are flowing correctly, and it's actually not making the pumps angry, not that kind of high quality connection, which that is also a version of a high quality connection.

I agree. Yes, yes. But the one we're gonna talk about today is Jane Dutton Magic, and it surrounds those tiny human interactions that have the power to really transform our workplace. They have the power to make us feel respected, connected, and vitalized. Now I actually had a high quality connection the other day and uh, I too was at the airport, right?

'cause we travel a lot. So I was at the airport and it was a long, long line at the Starbucks, but it was an early flight. And so I got in it, right? I got in the line with all the other cranky people and when I finally got to the front, the barista looked at me and they smiled and she said to me, Hey, you have really great energy.

Thanks for being kind in this crazy line. And to her. I know, right? I was. I smile. That made me feel so good and I took my hazelnut latte and I held it up and sort of nodded at it and said, you know what? Thank you for serving up the solution to all of this crazy. And we giggled, right? We giggled. She smiled at me and off we went.

I'll probably never see her again. We definitely don't know each other, but I walked away from that feeling seen and energized, and it changed my mood and made my morning that much better. 

Hmm, 

that's a high quality connection. So that is clearly an example of a high quality connection that you can have with a stranger.

But I wonder, Josh, if you could share an example of a high quality connection that you've had recently with somebody that you already know. 

Yeah. Um, let me think about this for a second. I'm trying to think of like some recent interactions. Okay. So I had a. Coaching call with, um, a mutual colleague and I guess I would say friend at this point of ours, Andi, somebody that you would know and this individual, um, you know, the whole purpose of this conversation, like we're getting on Zoom together so that I can provide coaching services for this person.

This person is in a leadership position. They've got, you know, a particular situation that they're looking to, , , you know, get some guidance and support with. And so that's why they're getting on this call with me. So it's not meant to be a social call, but at the beginning of the call, that's what we started with, right?

We just started with, hey, you know, how are things going? And you know, they started telling me of a story about their day and um, you know, I asked a couple questions and I'm trying, I'm being a bit obtuse here 'cause I'm not trying, I, I don't want to like. Out who this individual is. Oh, for sure. Yeah. Yeah, right.

Yeah. Um, but just like spending a minute or two at the beginning of this call, so rather than, you know, getting down to business, um, it was, it was really just a couple minutes of human connection and it, and it really, honestly, I really feel like that particular session went a lot better than some other sessions had gone because we, we took this opportunity to just kind of chit chat and connect as human beings.

Yeah, that's a great example. That's exactly, that's exactly a beautiful example of a high quality connection between somebody that, you know, it was short, right? Mm-hmm. It didn't take up the whole time. It was just a couple of minutes and you connected with them in a way that made you feel, seen. It made, mm-hmm.

The other person feel seen, and you were able to move forward a little bit more energized and have a really productive coaching session because of it. 

Yes. A hundred percent spot on. That's 

great. That's really great. Yep. Well, today we're gonna into an article there's actually two, right? And of course we'll share the links to all of these articles. But the initial article was a bit more of, um, kind of a plain language type article and it shared the stories of some literal heavy hitters who I admittedly had to look up because I didn't know exactly who they were.

But one of them is Joey Vato, and the other is Steph Curry, and they are professional sports. Players. Right. Which is why I didn't know, because I don't sports, I don't know. The sports things don't, I dunno what I don't. Sports how many goals do you make? In, in, in like, I don't know, football. I don't know any of this.

Yeah. How many baskets do you make in football? There we go. So I definitely had to look this up, but the article was really, I don't know, it jumped out at me because like I said, it was a plain language approach that utilized stories from these individuals and really built upon the concepts that Jane Dutton brings to positive psychology, to organizational psychology, to positive organizational structure.

And I got really excited about it because it was real people talking about real things that made a difference. That was. High quality connection based. Right? So I got all excited about it. So we're gonna talk about that, and we're gonna bring it all together with that science that Dr. Dutton brings and her research that shows that these micro moments, they can become the structural studs in the wall of our thriving workplaces.

Mm-hmm. So let's start with Joey Vato. Joey, who I now know is a successful baseball player with the Cincinnati Reds, a former MVPA Hall of Famer, and apparently an introvert. Oh, who else do we know that are introverts? Nobody so early in his medicine, right? Nobody. Nobody at all. So early in his career, he was all business, right?

He showed up, he put in the work, and he went home. He didn't say hi to people in the clubhouse. He didn't interact really with his team, and he was successful. He wanted to become more successful, so he started doing some research and that research, it encouraged him to look at more than just stats and reps and numbers.

It really pushed for him to look at the human component of success. Something clicked for him and he realized that appreciation and connection, it matters. So he made a change. He started opening up, giving advice, cracking jokes, mentoring teammates, and guess what? He got happier at work and his workplace.

It got warmer and it didn't take a big old retreat or some big cultural rebrand. It took connection. Now, Steph Curry, who is a. Basketball player for. I 

knew that one. I knew that one. 

See, I'm glad you knew that one because I, I had to ask my husband who it was, um, and he told me, and then I learned that he played for the Golden State.

I didn't even know that was a basketball team. I'm like, what is that? California is my guess, but yeah, so yeah. Yeah. Good guess, right? Well done. We're learning all the things today, the veterinary culture lab. But yeah, so Steph Curry, this basketball player, he had a really similar experience when he intentionally made efforts to connect with the people in his sphere, the vibe improved and it improved not just for him, but for most everybody that he came in contact with.

Now Jane Dutton, she calls these high quality connections and her research, it shows that they're biological and organizational power ups, kind of like psychological doses of Gatorade. Her foundational work is the cornerstone of positive organizational scholarship and this particular piece of work is titled The Power of High Quality Connections.

And it was published back in the early two thousands. And uh, like I said, we will share the link to this 'cause it's a great, great article in the show notes. Now, Dr. Jane, she lays out what makes these interactions so powerful. She explains that high quality connections are brief, positive interactions that can improve individual and organizational outcomes.

These interactions, they can happen in three different ways. The first way she calls cognitive, and that's when we pay attention to one another. We notice things. Mm-hmm. The second one is emotional and that's where we exchange positive and productive feelings that causes to experience that mutual vitality.

The third is behavioral, where we show up in a trust building and respectful way. So, in other words, Josh, they're small moments that reiterate mutual trust and value, and they leave us feeling energized. I always like to think of these moments as those like warm moments that sort of restore your faith in humanity.

Yeah. Yeah. 

So, like we said a moment ago, high quality connections that can absolutely happen with an ongoing relationships, right? Friendships, client interactions, but they can also happen between total strangers. Mm-hmm. They're that, hey, I see you nod. And that 30 seconds, it can totally change somebody's day.

Okay. I have one. Yeah. I haven't, can I, can I share one really quick, please? 

Yeah, yeah. 

Um, it's, it's actually very similar to yours. So, um, folks listening to this can't see, but I'm wearing a shirt right now that says be kind on the front of it. Mm-hmm. I was meeting some colleagues, actually some other mutual friends of ours.

Mm-hmm. Uh, for, uh, lunch. And we went to one of my most favorite ice cream places in the world after lunch. And, um, we placed our order, so each of us got our, you know, scoop of ice cream. Course got my scoop of ice cream in a very large, uh, waffle cone, covered in rainbow sprinkles. And, uh, what flavor of 

ice cream though?

That's like critical for me to know. 

I'm trying to remember exactly which one it was. So this particular place, they, it's all homemade ice cream and they have a if rotating flavors. And every month they have a cereal based flavor. I'm pretty sure it was Lucky Charms ice Cream, if I remember. Oh, 

yes. With Sprinkles Winner.

Yes, 

winner. Oh dude. So good. Right. Critical information. So we gotta check out 

Please go on. Yeah, 

yeah, yeah, yeah. So we go to checkout and the very, very nice and kind, uh, person that was helping us says, Hey, it's on the house. And I look at her like a little shocked and I'm like. Thank you. That's incredibly kind.

May I ask why? Because I really like your shirt and it inspired me to be kind.

There's the moment I can feel it. High quality connection. I can feel it. Yeah. Oh, that is so great. That's really great . and they're, they're short, they're quick. They're, I don't know, you don't need to put a whole lot of. Effort into them. Right. And that's what I think is so powerful about high quality connections.



 The other thing that stands out to me about high quality connections is how powerful they can be, right? Those short moments, those. Small efforts, those tiny interactions, and I really think that this stands out in Vet Med because in Vet Med we're busy, right? We're running, we're going between patients, we're checking emails, we're doing callbacks.

We got the next surgery coming in. And so I think the fact that this is something that is short, approachable is really worth paying attention to because. A 22nd interaction, it can make a difference and it matters, and it can fuel that connection that will build a more powerful and engaging and thriving culture.

Yeah. 

I mean, just making eye contact. Right? I'm sure that when you went up to the counter, this. Wonderful ice cream magician made eye contact. Right. She obviously looked at your shirt or they, yep. I'm just, I'm assuming it's a she, because that's something I would do. Looked at your shirt. Right. Made eye contact.

Just a small moment like that. It made a difference. I remember on my team back when, um, I managed a whole handful of fantastic technicians, one of them said to me, you know Andi, you're the only one around here that actually says good morning to me by name. 

Hmm. 

That floored me. And I thought, how low is the bar?

Right? How low do we have that bar in order for somebody to feel seen? 

Yeah. 

And how long does it take for you to say, Hey, good morning, Josh. How are you? Or Hey Megan, how was your weekend? It adds like, not even 20 seconds, it adds like one, one second to say their name And the difference that it made for that person was really, really powerful.

Yeah. 

So they're not hard to do. And that's the other reason why I get so excited about high quality connections is that yeah, they're not, they're not hard, they're not time consuming and they make such a difference. Dr. Dutton calls them the building blocks, of a resilient culture, like the mortar in between the bricks, the thing that holds it all together.

And of course that causes me to think right more about our industry and the humans within it. And there's a few questions that came up for me and I would love to hear. Your insight and your input on some of these questions, are you game? 

I'm game thrown my way. 

All right. The big one is, why do you think high quality connections are often overlooked in the fast-paced environments of themed?

Oh, that's a great question, Andi. Um, yeah, you know, I think the first thing that pops to mind for me is I think that sometimes we get caught up in an either or thinking like either I can tend to this task in front of me that has to be done right now so that I can get to the next 700 tasks I have to do, or I can spend time being your friend.

And we think that, that, that that's the only option, right? Like it's either I'm doing my work or I'm fraternizing and obviously fraternizing doesn't make sense right now when there's three urgent patients and I've got, you know, uh, orders from the doctor to take care of treatments. Which is sad to me because those things can coexist.

Like, I mean, it's really easy to do both at the same time. It's just about shifting our mindset, I think, a little bit around, uh, you know, that this is not an either or, this is a both and. 

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Well, and to add to that, it's often, I don't know, for me it's often more fun to be able to do both of those things.

Right? To be able to Oh, for sure. Yeah. To be able to do your job, to be able to triage patients, to, work through your patient wards and administer treatments to, , make visits, site visits, what, whatever it is that you're doing. If you're able to do that , with a team or with other people that you.

Enjoy connecting with and , feel that you respect and that respect you, and that you walk away from that with that sort of, you know, that warm feeling of vitality. Mm-hmm. , That would be something I look forward to. 

Oh, absolutely. I mean, I think, I think that's what the best teams do is they, uh, you know, they, they connect as humans even weaved within.

Not despite the,, stressors and challenges that they're facing each and every day. 

Mm-hmm. 

Mm-hmm. 

That kind of piggybacks onto the other, the other thing I was thinking about, um, which has to do with, the stress right? That we experience in vet med and some of the chaos that happens and the dumpster fires that get set ablaze, and I'd love to hear more about what you think.

Do you think that high quality connections could matter more? For teams that are under stress, or do you think that they're just valuable when things are going well? 

Oh, no, no. I think, I think that they're essential for teams that are under stress. I mean, I, I think of, I think of these, these as sort of like the, the essential moments between, right?

Like so. Mm-hmm. Um. Obviously when things are going well and we're under low stress, we should, we should be cultivating the relationships that we have with the people that we're interdependent on. You know, that, that , , we need these people around us to be able to do our job well and to at least find our job somewhat enjoyable.

So obviously in those down times, we should be making those deposits in the bank, but they are. Equally, if not more essential when things are really stressful. I mean, Andi, you and I both know the, the literature is very clear here. Resilience is not a solo act. Like, you know, the, the capacity to like face challenging things and overcome them, like, uh, I don't know.

Um, two technicians have called in sick today and a hit by car just walked through the door. That is not the time to disconnect. That is the. Time to connect because it's going to require all of us together to tap into, the greater potential that happens when we are together. It's not a bunch of individuals doing tasks, it's a group doing a task.

Uh, and so yeah, I think those high quality connections are essential under stressful times. , 

I love that you brought it back to that, relational maintenance component, you know, we've talked about that already a couple times, and the value that comes with depositing into the bank, right?

Finding opportunities, making the effort, connecting with people. Yeah. So that when you have an extra stressful time, maybe things aren't going your way, maybe you snap at somebody because you're human and that. That happens, right? We all do it. I do it too, and we have, those pennies and nickels and dimes in the bank and we can put them in there via high quality connections.

Those are a great way to do that, and then it builds up that social capital that will allow us to work more collaboratively and more, gosh, function better as a team when the dumpster fire hits. 

Mm-hmm. 

Yep. 

Agreed. 

So high quality connections. Clearly they're not just fluff, they're structural. They're that foundational material for building cultures because. We're not doing it alone, right? We're not going, most of us. Well, no. None of us are going to work alone. Even if you are a solo equine practitioner right out on the road in your truck alone all day doing your thing, you still get the horse owner on the other end of that call.

Yes. 

So we are out there. Interacting with humans every day at work and the connections that we make with those humans. It is foundational material for building thriving cultures, thriving workplace experiences, and flourishing lives, really. And Dr. Dutton's research really shows that if we can.

Experience, high quality connections, that it will improve our resilience. It will improve retention and engagement. It will boost our motivation, our collaboration and innovation, and of course our connection with those around us. Mm-hmm. And this matters. This matters in vet med, right, with the stress and the fatigue and the constant change.

A culture that lacks connection, it wears people down, and that's hard to manage. So for those out there that are looking to, boost their culture and take this science of high quality connections and be able to apply it to the cultures that they experience at work, I have a couple of ideas, but I'm actually gonna ask you for one first, 'cause I've been talking a lot.

Because. I know you have a good idea 

Oh, for how to create those moments in the workplace. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I, I've started to really, um, well, a couple things. Um, I think that like if you can, if you can hold people prisoner, that's one way to create high quality connection because you've got a captive audience then, right.

Yeah, that's terrible. Right? That one was ex exceptionally bad. I waited a very long time to find a place to put that one in, in this episode, and it just, uh, it was good. That felt really flat. It just slid it right in there. 

Mm-hmm. It's 

very kind of you to say that it was good and I appreciate that, but it was not, um, no, I, I've really come to think of these as like water cooler moments, you know?

Uh, for those of us old enough to remember, or maybe we've seen, you know, I don't know, sitcoms that. Uh, you know, people get together in the office in the water cooler, but that historically, like that was the thing, you know, is we all worked together in an office somewhere and there would usually be a water cooler, and people would go and take a short break there and they would usually congregate two or three or four people at a time.

And during that short period of time that they were having a cup of water. They were connecting in some way. They were sharing something, they were asking something, they were talking about something. I mean, it could even be as much as, you know, hey, did you see the sports thing last night? 

Did you see how many baskets they made at the football game last night?

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So, so what I think is any, anything that we can do that's going to encourage water cooler moments in our practice. Whatever that means. Mm-hmm. Structurally, if there's something we can do, I don't know, , putting healthy snacks in the break room. And then telling the whole team about it is going to encourage people to go into the break room at periods of time.

Right. Or as a practice manager, uh, walking through the hospital and saying, Hey, listen, I know you guys have been busting ass here today. Back in treatment, things seem to be a bit chill, Andi. Why don't you and Tess go sit down in the break room together for five minutes? Right. Like, that's encouraging a water cooler moment.

So I think it's really just small, simple things like that can be helpful. 

Mm-hmm. Yeah. 

The word that comes to mind in listening to your wonderful examples is intentional. 

Yes. 

Right. Being intentional about that, like deliberately looking for opportunities, and I think that that works really well for leaders as well as team members and, the rest of the crew because being intentional about it is critical.

Totally agree. 

One of the things that I've noticed in , a variety of experiences, um, in my world, is that intentional effort of using someone's name, right? I already gave you that example of the technician that was like, oh my gosh, you, you used my name. I was on the other side of that experience.

We had, um, a doctor at one of the hospitals that I used to work at, that I, to this day, swear she does not know my name. She didn't know my name. She does not know my name. She never knew my name. Mm-hmm. She would walk past me, she would say hi, but it was a very quick, Hey, keep walking. I mean, I worked there for years and I'm convinced that this person does not know my name.

Mm-hmm. And that 

stuck with me. Right. 

Yeah. And 

so I would encourage everybody out there, leader, team member,, or not. Make the effort be intentional to greet people by name. Maybe you're going to work tomorrow, right? And you say to yourself, okay, the first time I see this person, I'm going to use their name.

You don't have to do it every single time. That would be really weird. Hey Josh, how are you Josh? I was wondering if you could pass me that, um, syringe, Josh. I was thinking about a 35 cc Josh. I mean, that's. Okay. That's weird. But when you see them for the first time that day, maybe set that intention in your mind to use their name.

Hey Josh, it's good to see you. 

Mm-hmm. 

Just something like that. See what that does for you and for the other person. 

I think that's great. Yeah, absolutely. Um, I think there's some real neuroscience behind that too. There's something about hearing our name that activates our brain in a particular way, so I think that's really valuable.

I have one more. I'd love to share if there's time. 

Yeah, let's hear it. 

Um. When you said the word intentionality, it's what made me think about it. What about something like along the lines of like, um, I don't know, the question of the week or something like that? Mm. Um, where, so you, as you're the technician manager, Andi, you've been in that position before.

What if you had gone to your team and like every week you're like, okay, here's the question of the week and your goal as a team this week is to get as many. Answers as you can, like, collect as many responses from all of the people around you. So I don't know, the question this week could be, um, what's your favorite dessert?

Where's your dream vacation? 

Uh, 

who was, what was the name of your best friend in grade school? Like, just random stuff like that, right? And the goal is of this technician team of 25 people or however many it was. I remember you had a very big technician team. Um, like you're this week, try and get as many answers as you possibly can and then share a few, you know, I don't know, maybe you have a slack.

Channel or something, or you have a board that you write it on or there's a team meeting at the end of the week or something like that. But that's an intentional way to encourage people to actually make small, high quality connections throughout the week. 

I love that because you're making it a game and making it fun, and you're also seeing the benefit of those high quality connections.

I love. That's really great. That's really great. Um, I have one final one, which, like I said, this is like one of my favorite things to talk about and shocker, I have all these things that I want to, share and say and do and yay. Um, but I think that it really builds off of the, the few that we've shared so far, and.

Now that our listeners know what a high quality connection is, you're gonna see them happening. You're gonna notice when somebody has a high quality connection or makes an effort to create a high quality connection. Notice it. Point it out. Yeah. Say something about it. Right? Yeah.

Hey, that was a really great connection you just made with Mrs. Anderson. Like, yes, that's so great. Celebrate that when you see it. And I think that's a really kind of fun way to celebrate those moments and recognize other people, when they're making the effort and when they're being intentional about it too.

Behaviors that are rewarded and celebrated tend to be repeated. 

Yep. Yep. 

Just ask any dog owner. 

Aw, you know, who else you could ask about? Behaviors? 

Who's that good, 

bad or otherwise? Uh, Florida man. 

Florida man. Oh, I love the Florida man segment. 

He's got some behaviors, 

he's got some 

behaviors. There are some behaviors happening.

Uh, this week's floor man's behaviors, I was giggling. I mean, uncontrollably giggling so loud that Mike came out of the, bedroom and was like, what is so funny? 

What is happening? What is so funny? What am I missing out here? Yeah. 

This is the headline. Florida Man breaks into home blames force.

Oh, wait, what? Right, right. 

That's it. Just Florida man breaks into a home. Blames horse. 

Blames horse. So in Pasco County, which is in Florida, a Florida man was arrested after reportedly using a horse to break into a home. Apparently the homeowner noticed something strange happening on his like ring cam or his door cam, and he called the cops over to his house.

When they arrived, he saw a horse fleeing the scene and Florida man running after him. The homeowner said, uh, what are you doing in my house? To which Florida man replied, oh, my horse, it broke into your house and I had to go in after it. I mean, what?

Oh, that's the uncontrollable giggles from the couch. Right? So Mike was very, very well rewarded when he came out and asked me what was going on, and I read that to him and he was like, uh, yeah, that totally warrants the giggles. 

Wait, was the horse convicted? 

Um, no, I think the horse was let off the hook and given back to its owner.

Oh, good. Yeah. Well done Florida, man. Oh god. I can't wait to hear what kooky things you're up to next. 

Yeah. What behaviors? Florida man is inadvertently inad inadvertently or not. Oh yeah. That's awesome. . . Like I always say, we wanna know what you think. So if you're able to go out and test out some of these teeny, tiny, intentional efforts to create high quality connections with those around you, we wanna hear it.

We wanna hear about those warm moments, those things that remind you that humanity's pretty freaking awesome. The article links will be in the show notes as well as additional information, and of course, our contact information. We really appreciate you being here with us and can't wait to talk to you again later.

Thanks a bunch, Josh. This was good. 

Yeah, this was fun. Thanks, Andi. Appreciate you.