Tis the season to be merry and at our annual holiday event, held at the amazing ORU at the Vancouver Fairmont Pacific Rim, I sat at this magnificent table surrounded by twinkling lights and I watched our Intranet Connections team animated, laughing and connecting. It reminded me that my core motivation with this company is not about growth and profit. It’s about the “Human Factor in Business”.

At one point in the evening, I found myself huddled with Maz about to clink glasses with the third round of festive drinks and Maz was being, well, Maz. Most of you know him from his time on support, but he has recently moved into a sales position where he has natural talent and a strong aptitude and desire to build relationships.

Maz has this pure energy that literally sparks joy in you. His excitement radiates not only in his face but in his entire body. He fist pumps. He bounces. He literally vibrates with passion.

It’s not just Maz but everyone at our table. We all feel gracious, committed and dedicated to giving our 100%.

We want to make an impact and be part of something magical and rewarding. I felt humbled and well, I beamed the whole night. You can’t buy this. You can’t hire this. You can’t even go out and find this. It springs from relationships, from the connection, and into the culture.

Supporting The Human Factor in Business

Last year I gave you my top 5 intranet predictions for 2013 and was going to do the same this year. Instead, I would like to talk about the concept of the Human Factor of Business.

I recently read a snippet from Chris Brogan on this subject titled How Connections Really Form. He says that “business, when done right, feels like a great conversation where we learn about each other, and where we finish off deciding to do it again sometime.”

I predict that business in 2014 will continue a momentous shift toward genuine and authentic relationship-minded strategies both in vision and execution. I see the intranet as the underdog in this mission for 2014. Your intranet has the power and capability to take this concept and truly win with it but it is up to you to harness that power.

I envision using your intranet to support the human factor in business through your employee so that they can go out there and build relationships and long-lasting connections that in turn will feed your business. It starts at your own front door – those connections have to happen inside before they can happen outside with customers and partnerships.

There are 100 ways in which you can harness the power of your greatest assets (your employees) through the power of an intranet. However, that may be a bit too long for a blog post – I may need to deliver those to you in an eBook or a blog post series!

I know certainly for me I am excited about the possibilities of 2014. I have always been more comfortable guiding and growing behind the curtain, under the radar. I have immense pride in my team and our company culture that nurtures strong relationships and connections. So for 2014, it is my year to break free of the safety of my curtain and I hope to share more, learn more, grow more and connect more with all of you.

Happy holidays and warm wishes,

Carolyn