Our concept of connectivity has changed over the past six months. It likely means something different to each of us as we have been required to limit our face-to-face connections. In business, the term’s meaning was once limited to switches, routers, networks, and the Internet. But many of us have broadened our definition of connectivity as it has taken on greater and different meaning. In response to COVID-required remote work, we have learned that both technological connectivity and human connectivity have an important role to play in business.
Technological connectivity is a high priority for organizations as they seek the tools to help their employees operate as if they were still in the office. As we work remotely for an indefinite amount of time, we must have technological connectivity to do our jobs effectively. How can employees stay productive while they are working from home? How can they access files, collaborate on projects, and participate in meetings as if they were in the office? At Logic Speak, we have found that the technological common denominators of those companies that have successfully navigated the shutdowns are cloud computing and comprehensive collaboration tools. Having these technologies in place has made the difference between just surviving or continuing to thrive during COVID-19 for many of our clients. These technologies are not only critical for remote work—they are also important for success at any time.
Stay Connected!
Get the latest IT trends and best practices in your inbox.
In addition, the need to provide our employees with ways to connect with each other on a human level has skyrocketed since COVID remote work began. Forming these human connections at work is critical because they not only motivate us to do our jobs well and efficiently but also provide us with social connection and the ability to stave off isolation and loneliness. Replacing events such as chatting in the break room, grabbing lunch together, or gathering for Friday afternoon happy hour with meaningful virtual encounters via connectivity tools has great benefit to today’s companies.
How does all of this affect your business? Connectivity—both technological and human—can have a huge impact on your operations during COVID and beyond. Enabling connectivity with the right tools provides companies with agility and efficiency, the ability to collaborate as if they were in the office, and the security they need to allow employees to work at home while protecting the company from bad cyber actors.
And while we need both technological and human connection, there is a downside to all of this connecting. One of the challenges of remote work is that we can feel that we are always at work, that we must always check and answer email, respond to phone calls, or work past normal business hours. This can lead to burnout and other negative outcomes and hinders our ability to step away for big picture thinking and creativity. Conscious, deliberate, and planned disconnection is a key component to working effectively while remote.
In this series of blogs, we will discuss systems connectivity, human connectivity, and the impact of connectivity (or lack thereof) on your business. We’ll discuss how Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams can enable human connectivity among your employees and produce higher efficiency, increased motivation, improved operations, and better business outcomes—both during and COVID-19 and after you are back to normal. And we’ll address the importance of disconnecting periodically in our always-connected world. Finally, we’ll show you how Logic Speak can help your business choose the right tools and support, based on the individual needs of your business, to enable effective connectivity during COVID-19 and beyond.
Technology can be a mess. Let us take it off your hands, so you can do what you do best in running your company. Fill out the form on this page to schedule time with us.
At Logic Speak, our core values shape how we lead, how we work, and how we serve our clients. They’re not words on a wall, they’re filters for decisions and expectations for how we show up every day.
But here’s something we’ve learned the hard way: even good values have a shadow side.
Values, when taken too far or applied without self‑awareness, can create unintended consequences. What starts as a strength can quietly become a blind spot. And if we’re not careful, the very things we pride ourselves on can work against us.
So today, we want to talk honestly about our values, not just the best of them, but the risks of overusing them.
We Care for You
The strength:
Caring for others is foundational to who we are. It means treating people with dignity, empathy, and kindness. It means remembering that coworkers, clients, and partners are humans first, not just roles or tickets or invoices.
The shadow side:
When care goes unchecked, it can turn into avoidance. We may hesitate to give hard feedback because we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. We may tolerate behaviors longer than we should because we empathize deeply with circumstances. Over time, clarity suffers, and ironically, so does trust.
Care without courage isn’t actually care.
We Lean In
The strength:
We lean in when there’s a need. We take ownership. We step up when things are unclear or uncomfortable. This value fuels responsibility, initiative, and teamwork.
The shadow side:
Leaning in too much can become overfunctioning. We jump in to fix things that aren’t ours to fix. We take on too much instead of letting others wrestle and grow. Eventually, this can lead to burnout, resentment, or invisible bottlenecks where “that person always handles it.”
Sometimes the most responsible thing to do is not lean in, but step back.
We Love Our Craft
The strength:
We take pride in doing things well. We pay attention to details. We care about quality, process, and doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.
The shadow side:
At its extreme, loving our craft can turn into perfectionism. We may over‑engineer solutions, delay decisions, or become critical when others don’t meet our internal standards. What was meant to produce excellence can unintentionally slow momentum or make collaboration harder.
Excellence should serve the outcome, not replace it.
We Keep Improving
The strength:
Growth matters here. We believe learning never stops and that feedback, when handled well, is a gift. This value keeps us curious, hungry, and moving forward.
The shadow side:
Constant improvement can quietly create the feeling that “where we are is never enough.” Wins may go uncelebrated because we’re already focused on what’s next. People may feel like they’re always being evaluated instead of occasionally being affirmed.
Improvement without appreciation can feel exhausting.
Why This Matters: Blind Spots Are Part of Being Human
None of these shadow sides mean our values are flawed. They mean we’re human.
Every person, every team, and every organization has blind spots. Often, they’re not found in our weaknesses, but in our strengths, overused or unexamined. The danger isn’t having blind spots, it’s assuming we don’t.
That’s why self‑awareness matters so deeply to us. It’s why feedback matters. It’s why we believe asking questions like “How is this landing?” and “What might I be missing?” is a leadership responsibility, not a sign of insecurity.
Living Our Values With Humility
Our goal isn’t to live our values perfectly. It’s to live them thoughtfully.
That means holding our values firmly, but ourselves humbly. It means inviting perspective, welcoming challenge, and remembering that good intentions don’t eliminate unintended impact.
When we name the shadow side, we don’t weaken our culture, we strengthen it.
Because the best teams aren’t made of people without blind spots.
They’re made of people willing to look for them.
Recent Comments