Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, and the other gold. A circle is round, it has no end. That’s how long, I will be your friend. Hopefully, you read that in the same sing-song voice it was typed with. For anyone who has participated in Girl Scouts of America, this tune likely has flowed from your lips a time or two. 

It has been many years since I proudly donned my sash covered with sewn on patches. Yet the lessons, and more importantly the memories, of my days as a Girl Scout stay filed away in my head for the days I need to remember how to light a fire with sticks and a rock and create crystals out of charcoal. But most importantly, for the days I need to remember how to make new friends and keep the old. 

My job prior to being welcomed into the ETE family was lonely. I didn’t click with anyone, I had people I’d politely wave too in passing, but there was no connection. I dragged my feet into the office day after day. While I always clocked in on time, my day was spent waiting for it to be over. I completed my daily tasks, but never went above and beyond. There was no enjoyment and no passion. Worst of all, there were no friends. When the time came for me to take leave to give birth to my second child, “The Worm Summoner”, I had zero intention of returning. 

Fast forward ten months later. I was over being a stay at home mom. For those that are cut out to do that, I give you all the credit you deserve. I needed to be around people that were over two feet tall and that could form a complete sentence and make sense at least most of the time. Within the first few days of joining ETE, I was making real connections with people that I truly liked. I looked forward to my thirty-five minute commute because it meant that not only did I get to go to work and get s@!t done, but I also got to hang out with my friends. As we grew, and grew and grew some more, so did my circle of work friends. Some I have known since day one. Others have found a way into my heart throughout the years. And a handful I have known for more than half of my life, as bringing them into ETE was an easy sell. These are the people that I can collaborate with. The ones that make hard work enjoyable. They are the ones that make the busiest, most hectic days less stressful and more productive. We can work hard, and then laugh harder. We may not sit in a circle singing Kum Ba Yah, but the bond is no less real.

When your teammates are more than just strangers that occupy a space three cubicles over, the benefits to your own personal mental health and impact on the company is monumental. 

What potential advantages does a friend driven culture have on your business and your people? 

• Less Turnover: It is less likely that your people will actively search for a different job if they are attached to their co-workers on an emotional level. Choosing to leave feels like breaking up. Can we still be friends? Possibly but it probably won’t be the same. Allow for the banter. The water cooler chats. The ties that bond, also bond them to the company. #GirlScoutForLife
• Increased Commitment and Accountability: It is hardest to tell someone that you are invested in that you have fallen short. Teams built of friends will hold each other accountable for ensuring they are all being the best teammate they can be. Your team will be driven to get the work done so as not to push the load onto someone else. However in times when help is needed, they will be comfortable asking their friends for help, leading to more productivity and on time job completion. If we all pick up one piece of kindling, the fire will be roaring in no time. 
• Laughs are contagious: Just like sneezes, laughs are contagious. Morale is boosted when smiles are shared and chuckles are had. A dry, melancholy, bleak workplace will create a heads-down, dissatisfying workforce with people whose emotional buckets are empty. Thin mints may fill my tummy, but laughter with friends fills my heart.
• Collaboration and Teamwork: We run a little harder when people we care about are counting on us. I am not the fastest, but in a relay race I’m going to push with everything I have to make sure my friends and I win together. We will strategize and acknowledge each person’s strengths and weaknesses, allowing for us to be the best well oiled machine. I never would have gotten my Bug Badge if it weren’t for my friends, I stay away from the creepy crawlies. 

Time to get my head out of my laptop and get to work – with my friends. We will laugh and joke and maybe even sing, but we will get s@!t done. Hopefully they too will get the “Make New Friends” song stuck in their head.