CONNECTIONS MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY
Javier García Iza
CEO IOS OFFICES
This article was published in Mexico Business News, which offers access to the most relevant information about different industries, including articles of important business leaders, amongst them, our CEO Javier García Iza, who shares his latest publication about the importance of human connections and their role in a company's success. Find the article HERE.
Harvard University has a fascinating ongoing study that has been taking place for more than 80 years, and that is considered the longest study in history. This study is analyzing two different groups of people from different economic backgrounds, ranging from low income toA high income communities in Boston. During approximately eight decades, Harvard researchers have been in contact with the studied subjects and their families and observed their professional lives as well as their physical and mental health, complimenting their observation and interviews with more thorough studies, such as brain scans, and medical records.
The magnitude of time spent in this study is just the tip of the iceberg compared to the amount of knowledge that it generates for its researchers. Identifying with them, and having always been curious about human nature, while looking for answers to our basic and deepest needs, I turned to this study in order to reflect on one of my favorite topics that has guided my inspiration to create my business: Happiness and human connections.
Regarding these topics, and considering the large array of knowledge that is being acquired in this study, researchers have reached various conclusions that suggest that a long, happy life is achieved mostly by practicing and engaging in relationships that promote human connections. This study reveals that healthy human relationships are more important than practicing sports regularly and maintaining a good diet, having major benefits for physical and mental health. From my perspective, this study reveals that connections are the source of well-being and happiness for human beings.
Now, defining human connections is not an easy task, but simply put, I would say that they are the result of the interaction between two or more people who cohabit in the same space, who get together, form a community, and for the most part, understand each other. This shared living experience encourages connections that inherently allow different perspectives to flourish, making it possible for the generation of particular knowledge unique to that community. This knowledge, in my opinion, becomes the most powerful and defining element of a group that with time promotes the creation of a unique culture inherent to a community.
Taking into consideration studies like the one I mentioned reminds us that relationships with others are extremely important to our nature as human beings, while confirming that people who are mostly connected with their families, friends and communities are physically and mentally healthier and happier, living longer than those who withdraw and maintain limited relationships with others.
While reviewing this research, I reflected and asked myself: What are we doing at IOS OFFICES to contribute to good healthy relationships? How can we promote good relationships with our associates and clients? And most importantly, are people happy in our working environment?
Today, more than ever, mental health has become a priority in our country and all around the world. We must understand that good relationships are positive for our health and well-being. When we withdraw, our brain deteriorates and our health can suffer before we reach middle age, meaning that our life could be shortened. This stated, being constantly connected with others is not particularly about the number of friends or contacts we have, it's more about the quality of these relationships.
Relationships formed in working environments occupy most of our time. Within business communities, we must realize that our priority should be that our associates have the opportunity to create connections and happy relationships within the working environment while working toward the achievement of their professional goals. Sometimes, I believe we are living under the impression that we have to sacrifice ourselves by working harder in order to achieve the life we have dreamed about, putting all our focus on recognition but missing out on what has proven to be more important: our relationship with others.
Considering this, some benefits associated with good connections are a higher level of creativity and intelligence that provides the opportunity for everyone to fulfill their individual and collective goals while stimulating productivity and competitiveness. In my experience, happy connected individuals, have a higher probability of achieving success, more so than people who live in fear or under stress.
A person with good human connections is capable of anything and at IOS OFFICES we focus on this, knowing that it will bring success in the personal and professional lives of our business associates as well as their own associates. “Connections Make People Happy” is our community culture motto. It promotes happiness and healthy relationships among our associates , vendors and business associates. We define ourselves not only as a workspace, but first and foremost as a community built around productive activities and all the trivial things that happen in the office: a cordial friendship, participation in the company’s sports team, referrals when selling or buying something not work related, the excitement of getting a new pet, and — why not? — sharing the moment when you find your perfect romantic partner.
I experienced this a couple of days ago, while at one of our locations, in Torre Campestre in San Pedro, Garza García. I visited our very popular mixology “Biz Bar.” I noticed there was quite a line and immediately I resolved the “problem” in my mind by considering hiring more “baristas,” but as I looked around, I noticed that while in line, our associates were talking, laughing and having a conversation. I decided to join in and at that moment I realized that getting a coffee became a great opportunity for all of us to network, and that our trivial conversation while in line led us to new connections, valuable shared knowledge and most importantly, genuine smiles. This confirmed to me that living in a human, connected world, makes all the difference personally and professionally.
In our business community, we have the clear goal of working together and making our company more than just a functional space, allowing a true opportunity to collaborate creatively, making possible personal and professional connections at all the levels of our organization. We work as a team, looking for collective solutions, and we have the belief that behind every great success there is a group of people who are constantly in communication, maintaining good connections with each other. We truly believe that the connections that you establish with other people at IOS OFFICES are the direct result of being present in the right place and in the right moment in any of our 40 centers and having a simple honest conversation while sharing our most valued asset: an honest, generous smile.
The IOS OFFICES community consists of more than 20,000 members and our centers are the ideal place to connect, to network and grow your business. We are a company that is set up in 12 different cities in Mexico, giving you the opportunity of connecting exponentially, with the possibility of meeting many different, interesting people who could remain in your life personally or professionally, while connecting with them through our multiple events and shared experiences in and out of the office. These connections are likely to benefit you at a personal level, promoting mental health, wellness and happiness, allowing you to connect with a network of successful, creative and hardworking people who can increase the productivity and success of your business.
A good life is rooted in good healthy relationships and we know it. At the end of the day, IOS OFFICES is a place where connections happen. Connections that can have personal or professional motivation, independently or simultaneously; connections that can make your business grow and allow you to achieve your dreams, whatever those may be.
“There isn't time, so brief is life, for bickering, apologies, heartburnings, callings to account. There is only time for loving, and but an instant, so to speak, for that.” - Mark Twain