The Principle of Proximity

Last year, I heard the COO of a tech-company give a talk on IT Careers. Along with general changes in the industry, he discussed a few of his company’s particular cultural norms. To foster more personal communication, employees are trained to use a rule called the “principle of proximity.” Although I don’t remember the exact wording, the principle worked something like this: 

• If you need to meet with someone to talk about something, take them to lunch. 

• If you can’t take them to lunch, schedule an in-person conversation.

• If you can’t find time for an in-person conversation, schedule a Zoom call. 

• If a Zoom call won’t work, give them a phone call. 

• If a phone call won’t work, send a text message. 

• If a text message won’t work, send an email. 

This week I invite you to consider your relationships: 

To what extent do I communicate in ways that nurture personal connection? If I could choose only one relationship to improve using the principle of proximity, which would it be? What would I need to change about how I communicate in order to create this improvement? 

God bless,
Dan