You have on hand, and in abundance, an opportunity that every workplace needs. It will strengthen your team and positively impact your work experience. Did I mention that it’s free? I know. You are time-crunched. Your business is leaner than ever. Technology has put you on the clock 24/7. Let me tell you a story.

It was a few days before Christmas in 2001. The year-end crunch was in full churn. It was the busiest stretch in a job that was already demanding. I was going through a challenging time in my personal life. In fact, it was one of the most difficult times in my life and I had shared a little bit about what was happening with two of my colleagues at work, John and Grant. Since things were so tough outside of work, the upcoming holidays didn’t feel like Christmas at all. I was fighting to keep my spirits up. In my conversation with John and Grant, I mentioned that I didn’t even plan to put up a Christmas tree.

During the last week of work before the holidays, John called me and said “Liza you have to come to the parking garage. Someone backed into your car.”

“That’s just great!”, I thought. “One more thing to deal with.”

When I got to the garage, I found that my car wasn’t damaged at all. In fact, that phone call was just a ruse to get me to come to the garage. When I got there I found, standing tall beside my car, a decorated Christmas tree. During lunch, John and Grant had gone to Canadian Tire and bought it for me. That act of kindness meant the world to me.

I often think about what John and Grant did to cheer me up. I can tell you for certain that their kindness added to my productivity at work. It helped me to stay focused and to have the energy and commitment I needed to get through some challenging days. While I know that’s not why they did it, the company benefitted from the support that they extended to me.

Too often, connections among team members are written off as soft skills that are irrelevant in today’s workplace. To dismiss the importance of connection among one another at work is short-sighted. While we need to get the work done, the relationships that we build along the way are equally as important. It’s through these relationships that we can work more effectively and therefore, more productively. It’s also through these relationships that we can find meaning in our own work. Building relationships and fostering connection within your team are among the most high-impact actions you can take as a manager. The most effective managers are those who can find that balance between getting the work done and building relationships

The good news for harried managers who would like to better relate to their employees is this: it doesn’t take any additional time at all. It takes intention and attention. It takes intention because the interest and care expressed towards a colleague must be genuine otherwise it won’t matter. It takes attention because all we have to do is stop for a moment and notice what is happening with the individuals with whom we work.

Here are some tips on how to make that happen…right now.

1. Today, take one minute and notice what’s happening around you in the workplace. A sixty-second study is more than many managers devote in a day.
2. Today, express some genuine interest in one employee. Spend 20 per cent of the conversation talking and 80 per cent listening.
3. Today, when you walk to the water cooler or coffee machine, take a moment more to genuinely engage and connect.
4. Today, ask one colleague for an opinion on an issue you are considering.
5. Today, take the time to write a little note of appreciation to someone who has made your day easier. If it’s a personal visit to their workstation, even better.
6. Finally, check in with yourself to make sure that your interest is sincere.

Yes, it’s important that teams are productive, but connection is not a tactic. It’s an extension of what makes us human. If you have to manufacture interest in the people you lead, perhaps it’s time to ask yourself if managing people is really what you want to do.