At a recent conference, I had the privilege of giving the closing keynote. The morning of the program, I went to the Speaker Ready Room. There were a couple of other presenters already there – let’s call them Maura and Arvind – who were preparing for the program they were about to give.

The only item I had with me was my iPad, wrapped in its usual cover. Normally, this detail would not be important at all, but it is for this story: my iPad cover looks like a retro-style notebook, is fairly unusual, and frequently gets me a friendly comment. When I met Maura and Arvind, something unusual happened: Arvind took a look at me, noticed my iPad, and – with a lot of excitement in his voice – exclaimed that he had the same cover. (It seems he was also pretty happy about his iPad cover).

Within no time, all three of us were having a blast, exchanging (silly and meaningless, but fun) stories about the iPad cover. It only took us a minute or two before the small room we were sharing was filled with laughter, great stories, excitement, and a ton of energy.

The iPad cover is obviously not the important part here. What is important is that Arvind noticed a point of connection, and then all three of us built on and ramped up this connection.

Our initial meeting lasted for just a few minutes before Maura and Arvind left to present their program. But the initial energy had been strong enough that we all made an effort to reconnect and continue the conversation later on.

I don’t know what will come of our encounter, but I do know that the starting point was merely someone paying attention to the small details – and all three of us knowing that the little, personal things are what really count.

Take the Next Step

Pay attention to the small details in your team. Look around their workspace, notice what is there, and take note of personal aspects that come up in conversations. This week, make a point of saying something to acknowledge one of these details, and see how your leadership skills grow.