Get to know your clients and coworkers on a more personal level. Talk more and email less. Understand what makes others tick and what’s important to them. Strong relationships enable us to more successfully work through difficult issues and challenging times. 

F+A was my first experience with remote work. After years of working in a physical office, I was curious how I would go about building strong relationships with colleagues, clients, and partners with limited opportunities for face-to-face conversation.  

However, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by both the quantity and quality of connections I’ve made with folks in Seattle and beyond, all while working from my home computer in Nevada. And that helped me realize that whether we’re remote or in person, the core steps to building a strong relationship really remain the same. For me, those include: 

• Fostering trust  

• Offering value  

• Maintaining an open line of communication 

• Prioritizing collaboration 

• Sharing recognition  

One simple step we take at F+A is our daily morning huddle. Sometimes we have lively discussions, and sometimes we say a quick good morning and then get to work. But it gives us an opportunity to see each other’s faces, share scheduling updates, and connect on a personal level. 

How does your workplace keep connected and prioritize relationships? 

Each week, the F+A team gathers to discuss The F+A Way: our defined cultural fundamentals and touchstones that help us best serve our clients. We take turns sharing our thoughts on the key principles that define us, asking questions to spark conversation.