As I’m writing this article, we’re closing out the first year of Covid-19; deep into February 2021. We had such high hopes for change by now. But schools are still closed to some degree or another. Expectations of vaccine efficacy have been questioned. The one-two shot was supposed to get us back to some kind of normal within a month or two. Well, Anthony Fauci is now predicting the Fall of 2021.

How do we keep our corporate cultures distinct and alive when everyone’s closest coworker is a screen and a keyboard? Where is the bonfire? Where is the spontaneous reveal of dreams, anxieties, hopes?

When you look back at the year 2020, will you see it as a time of loss, fear, and stagnation? Or will you see it as a time of growth, expansion and a deepening of your wisdom and resilience as a leader in your company? As of this writing, we’re still in Q3 of 2020, so you have plenty of time to shift gears and resolve to use this year as a time of enrichment and learning.

I’m often asked what the critical components are to the kind of extraordinary partnership that I have with my chief people officer. I have to say there is indeed a bit of luck, chemistry, and magic to our rapport. But there are some aspects to our relationship that are absolutely replicable – assuming both partners are willing participants in the adventure. I’ve unpacked them for you here.