This month our featured client is Tom Krizmanic, Principal, of STUDIOS Architecture. Tom stepped into a leadership position at STUDIOS over a year ago and worked with groupforward on various group and leadership issues during the last year. Tom was well aware that he needed to "gel" his new group and had been contemplating what to do.

Then creative genius struck! Tom had an inspiration while visiting the Museum of Modern Art. Why not have an art show? STUDIOS had some unfinished office space, so why not allow everyone in the office to bring in their art? There were no parameters on what constituted "art." It could be anything creative that they had done that they were proud of or wanted to show how they used their talents outside of the office. Tom's approach to building rapport was truly inspired because it allowed everyone to share something about themselves to the degree that they felt comfortable. It also occurred over the space of only four hours one evening.

The concept of the art show was Tom's idea. He consciously let go of the preparations because he did not want the event or its execution to be considered "work." Three volunteers did 95% of the work, setting up the space, ordering food, securing the services of a bartender (a friend of an employee), and labeling the artwork just as a museum would. Email invitations were sent to clients, vendors, and friends.

The turnout was fantastic! About 150 people came to view the paintings, sculpture, models of graduate school thesis projects, photos, movies, sketches, collages, miniature collections and much more. The employees loved this venue because they got to interact with Tom, their coworkers, clients and vendors in a relaxed, non-stressful environment.

What they gained from this event was an appreciation for the depth of the people they work with and each person's skills, a chance to talk with one another about talents they shared in common, and a way to express their passions with those around them. Tom's employees now want this to be an annual event. The guests were so impressed that there were even offers to buy the artwork!!

What makes this inspired leadership? One of the core values at groupforward is to help leaders identify small actions they can undertake that have huge impact. Like a pebble thrown into water, Tom's idea expanded out to impact the entire organization and beyond.

Not only did Tom achieve the goal of increased rapport with his employees, but he also built it for them with clients and vendors! Kudos, Tom, for creating a powerful leadership example.

Today, with all the electronic umbilical cords we have, we are able to connect to people in any number of ways, at any time, permanently if we choose!

As a leader considering what medium to use to communicate, BE CAREFUL with email and text messaging. There are at least two things to consider - the culture you are creating and the communication style you are encouraging.

First, emails and text messages delivered at all hours of the day and night send a troubling message to employees: "You can never stop working." This type of disregard for boundaries sets a difficult example that employees nonetheless may try to emulate, leading to a "sweatshop" type culture. It won't matter if you say "Do as I say and not as I do." The nonverbal message in the example you set is far more powerful. Ask yourself, "Is this the culture I want to create?"

Second, leaders can fall into the habit of relying too much on email to communicate with their employees. Some email correspondence is fine. However, it can get out of hand. Sometimes, what is really needed in this electronic age IS a face to face conversation! Imagine, no guessing at someone's tone, facial expression, body language, or gestures. Routinely, I encounter groups that name "too much reliance on email" as one of their major communication concerns. There is so much email pouring in that they cannot process it all or the very processing of it takes so much time it decreases productivity! Further, email exchanges can escalate conflicts becuse of the assumptions made as they are read. Ask yourself, "Is this the kind of communication style you want to encourage?"

As the leader, you need to check it out. If you cannot gauge your level of "textual harassment," it's time to ask your employees. Maybe it's time for a face to face conversation.

Sharon Godfrey, Sharon Godfrey Insurancy Agency, Inc.