The Professional Value of Spending Time Face to Face
By Kendra Davenport, Chief Development Officer, Operation Smile, Inc.
It isn’t easy to maintain open communication in an international organization with offices and staff spread around the world. It takes effort and commitment to a common purpose, patience and consistency. Technology simplifies much of our work, but despite all that it does to connect us, it can’t provide the same value as a face-to-face meeting. Last month, the leaders of our partner offices in Canada, Ireland, Italy, South Africa, Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S. convened for a semi-annual meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, to discuss operations, fundraising, program strategy and everything between. We spent three full days developing solutions and creating plans to address our organization’s challenges — all the while learning from one another in person, face to face.
I find it refreshing to learn from my colleagues at this stage in my career; I’m fortunate to be able to work with diverse individuals from different countries and personal backgrounds, all of whom bring vast professional experience to the table. It isn’t easy to work through differences of opinion in any group, but when leaders with strong personalities come together, it can be even more challenging. Conversations filled with emotion and conflicting views made for lively debate. Because of this, the process of achieving consensus was all the more rich and rewarding.
I found myself wondering what a stranger walking into our meetings might have thought because we often talked at the same time, interrupted one another, jibed, joked and teased. More than a few times, our discussions bordered on being out of control, but during our time together, I realized how much more we resembled a family than coworkers. It felt like we cracked the code and transcended professional bureaucracy to unlock deeper, collaborative and caring relationships. I can’t imagine that this breakthrough would’ve been possible on a conference or video call. It was being face to face in small meeting rooms devoid of everyday distractions that set the stage for the connections and mutual respect that we cultivated.
This respect helped us pause and regroup when differing opinions threatened to stymie our progress. All 10 of us around the table were present and engaged in the conversation, no one spent more than a few minutes distracted by their devices. Everyone was acutely aware of the time and financial commitments required to make this meeting possible, which also served as a reminder to keep things on track.
Beyond helping set the stage for fruitful dialog, mutual respect provides a critical foundation for honest conversation, creativity and solution-driven collaboration. It’s also the seed that, when cultivated, helps teams like ours forge meaningful personal relationships that make working together more fun. This respect is a key ingredient in building lasting, beneficial relationships among colleagues.
Our hosts, the Operation Smile South Africa team, planned several activities to give us a break from our working sessions and have a good time together. The camaraderie that develops through these types of team-building activities is something that can only be achieved in person.
Our interactions at these meetings are a critical part of Operation Smile’s global success. We were able to bring together the learnings and experiences of staff from different backgrounds, ethnicities and countries to create a vibrant workplace culture rooted in human connection, collaboration, respect and engagement.
Closer to home, I believe the same ethos is true and I encourage the team I manage to embrace it as well. Our team is large, currently about 65 people, but having annual one-on-one meetings with every employee that I manage is critically important. These one-on-ones take months to plan and consume about 10 days of my time, but I find them invaluable for several reasons.
First, by sitting down with each individual on our team, I hope to demonstrate to everyone that their individual contributions to our larger goals are important and recognized. Second, the meetings help me take the collective temperature of the department and provide terrific insights into all kinds of things that might not be apparent otherwise. Third, I’m able to understand my staff on a more personal and informal level. These outcomes combine to strengthen our team; develop deeper relationships; and engender understanding, compassion, tolerance and respect.
For these reasons I believe that no communication is as powerful as face to face. So, get out from behind the desk, hang up the phone and plan to meet in person. The results will surprise you.
Kendra Davenport is the Chief Development Officer for Operation Smile and manages global development strategy, brand, marketing and public relations. She previously served as the president of the Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation, the vice president of institutional advancement and external affairs at Africare. Kendra has also supported development at Project HOPE, the Population Reference Bureau, International SeaKeepers Society, First Candle and the SIDS Alliance, and Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and communications from Chestnut Hill College and an Executive Master of Policy Leadership from Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy. Additionally, she is CFRE International certified as a fundraising executive, and volunteers her skills and expertise to assist the Loudoun County government, Leadership Roundtable and Georgetown University.
