Have you ever been in back-to-back meetings and felt like no one really had your back?
Or worked remote, talking into your computer all day, and realized you didn’t have a single real conversation?
You’re not alone.
Nearly 1 in 5 employees feel lonely at work, and if you’re a high performer, it’s often higher.
The very thing that makes you valuable can quietly create distance.
I hear this theme often in my work with clients. They’re trusted, relied upon, and performing at a high level, but they feel disconnected from the people around them.
So what can you change?
Not your workload. Not your performance. But how you connect.
That’s what this week’s newsletter is about.
We’ll cover:
How The Disconnect Happened Jump here↓
This Week’s Tip: Connection as a Strategy Jump here↓
This Week’s Joke Jump here↓
How The Disconnect Happened
Most decisions don’t come down to who’s best. They come down to who’s in the conversation.
When you’re a high performer, people trust you to run with things, so they may stop looping you in early.
You might spend more time executing and less time engaging.
That’s where the loneliness creeps in, because the way you work creates distance.
So how do you pivot and re-establish connections?
You have to get back on people’s radar by collaborating.
These sentences can help:
This Week’s Tip: Connection as a Strategy
A helpful way to think about this is in three parts: who you invest in, how you engage them, and the behaviors you repeat consistently.
None of these require a major change to your schedule, but together they make your work feel a lot less isolating.
1. Build a strategic inner circle
Start being selectively connected.
Choose a small group of people who are either ahead of you, adjacent to you, or quietly influential.
Invest in them.
How to do it:
Engage around real work. Ask for perspective when it matters or share insight when it’s useful.
The key is that the relationship should feel earned and intentional.
Why it benefits you:
You get sharper thinking, early access to information, and you’re included in the conversations that don’t happen publicly.
If this is resonating, send it to someone who’s great at their job but might feel a little disconnected
2. Let people into your process
High performers often only show finished work. It’s how they got ahead.
But letting people into the middle of your process creates connection.
How to do it:
Bring in one or two thoughtful people when you haven’t resolved an issue.
Ask for input on a real decision and use what it useful.
Acknowledge the inner circle that helped you in the final outcome.
Why it benefits you:
You create more dialogue as you work, instead of a long stretch where you may be operating on your own
Vote so I can make this newsletter more useful for you. What’s hardest in real-time conversations?
3. Be useful before you need to be
Most people only reach out when they need something. That’s what makes it transactional.
Flip it. Be someone who adds value without a reason.
How to do it:
Create light and casual moments of connection:
Share something specific, like a relevant news article. Add a thoughtful introduction. Send an opportunity someone else’s way
Why it benefits you:
You stay in regular contact with people in a way that feels natural, which makes work feel less isolated day-to-day.
This Week’s Joke:
Connection takes effort, but I can guarantee you it will make your work feel more human, more meaningful, and a lot less lonely!
If you want to build stronger, more human communications personally or at your company, reach out to me at [email protected].
