Hola, hola! Welcome to Casa Cinco, a weekly newsletter curating connection.

Are you building or investing in human connection? See the bottom of this email and connect with Casa Cinco.

This week I’m showcasing what make a great boss and how it took someone 104 job applications to find one, besides a juicy Weekly Curation 👌. Happy reading!

Here’s to connecting,

Andy

IMAGINE APPLYING TO 104 JOBS

I finally moved out last week. My life is now wrapped in cardboard, locked in an airconditioned storage unit that used to be a parking lot. Btw, what’s up with the price of boxes?!

The strong, patient men from the storage company who moved our boxes were joined by a woman - we’ll call her Gabby - who came to ‘review the customer journey’. Time for the questions to start! What is all of this about?

Between crazy stories and fascinating stats, Gabby kept making reference to Manny. Manny this, Manny that… who is this Manny?

Turns out, Manny was Gabby’s boss. But more than that, he had changed Gabby’s life.

Gabby had applied to 104 jobs before getting this role. 104 - let that sink in. The reason she kept getting rejected? She had become a mother and had been off the workforce for three years caring for her sick child.

That’s where Manny comes in. Instead of reducing Gabby to an empty CV, he noticed her resilience, determination, and potential. He offered Gabby the role and now had in her a visibly happy, loyal, and proactive employee reviewing customer journeys. Genius.  

But, hiring Gabby was not the only smart thing Manny did. In fact, he sounded like the type of boss we all need and seldom find. What made him so incredible?

1. 🚀Potential: Manny did not reduce his employees to past experience, but assessed their future potential. He believed in their capacity for growth. And, sometimes, that is the only thing people need in order to succeed at something new.

    

2. 💌Purpose: Gabby kept telling us that she wasn’t in ‘the business of moving boxes’; she was in the business of transitioning lives. Think about it. Operationally, both referred to the same thing - pick up boxes in location A and drop them off in location B. Emotionally, however, the latter framing gave employees a purpose. A connection. It hits differently, doesn’t it?

3. ✌️Trust: As time passed, Gabby told me, Manny gave her more and more responsibilities to the point where she ‘led the company whenever he was on holiday’ and actually looked forward to it. And if her daughter ever need a bit more of her time or attention, Manny didn’t mind. ‘Do what you have to do, and come back whenever you are ready’. Trusting Gabby to prioritize her family and come back ready and willing to work was exactly what allowed Gabby to show up like she did.

In short, Manny connected with his employees as people - not resources. He identified potential instead of assessing experience, he provided and clearly communicated a shared purpose, and he operated on the basis of trust.

How could we not love Manny? 5/5 stars.

The inspiration for you is: if you are someone’s boss - strive to be more like Manny. And if you have a boss - know people like Manny exist, people who enable employees to be their full, happy selves. Strive for that as well.

Business - or work in general - can be a conduit for connection. We just have to know it is possible and search for it.

Note: Manny can only be a great boss because Gabby is an excellent employee. It goes both ways!

WEEKLY CURATION

PEOPLE

• 👷‍♂️Two Harvard and Stanford entrepreneurs launch accelerator program looking to help start-ups build real-life communities

• 👯Listen: Creativity is connection. How being intentional in expressing yourself can bring you closer to others

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

• 🗣️Remember Clubhouse? Two former employees got together to build why?! - a new app that helps people connect and just raised $1.7m 

• 🤑From Taylor Swift concerts to Formula 1 races - the experience economy is estimated to double its size in less than a decade

• 💃More on the experience economy: We don't just go for a drink anymore, we search for vibes and community 

PLACES

• 🌳Another insightful piece from The Conduit: Nature as an asset class (note: analogous to Casa Cinco’s pursuit of human connection as an asset class)

• 🏨Airbnb seeks to relaunch experiences and introduce co-hosting, among other initiatives tapping into the hospitality economy

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