In 2005, Steve Jobs gave a commencement speech at Stanford. If you have the time, take a few moments to watch it.
As of this posting, it has 44 million views on YouTube. I *might* be exaggerating but I think 43 million of those views are from me alone. I love this speech that much. I have been teaching a college course for freshmen since 2008, and I show this speech to them every semester.
In the speech, Jobs talks about his life and career journey. He famously dropped out of college, started Apple, got fired, started Pixar and ultimately wound up back at Apple. He talks about his life, love and of course his health, which tragically saw him face illness that ended his life much too soon.
There’s one part of his speech that I want to talk about here because it links with the Connectedness talent theme.
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
Steve Jobs
The Connectedness talent theme is all about an innate sense of being part of something larger and believing that everything happens for a reason. For those who possess this talent, life is a web of interconnected threads, each contributing to the bigger picture.
Steve Jobs described that big picture as “your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.” For others it might be their cultural and familial teachings, their religious belief system, or their spiritual faith. Jobs stated that the most important thing was being able to look back and understand how each step in your journey is tied together, even if it’s unclear in the moment.
Having that trust is the way to navigate the journey with confidence.
For those with Connectedness talents, that thing that they trust in — whatever it may be — usually clicks for them right away . They know what they know and they know what they believe, and Connectedness speaks to the power of what guides their view of the big picture and how we are all intertwined.
What if Connectedness isn’t a dominant talent for you?
I often work with individuals who have a harder time understanding members of their team with Connectedness because the thing someone else believes in doesn’t exactly line up with their own worldview, belief system or upbringing. That’s ok!
Taking it another step further, what if they feel strongly that things don’t happen for any reason at all. Or that we are not inherently connected. Just because a talent is not in your Top 5 or Top 10 doesn’t mean it’s not present. It may not come through strongly for you, but I believe it’s helpful to think of ways you still grasp the essence of Connectedness in a way that makes sense for you.
Connections with Strangers
Think about the collective energy of people dancing to the same beat in a club, or the unity felt when a stadium erupts in cheers at a sporting event. These moments of shared experience illustrate how deeply we are linked. Again, it doesn’t have to be around a belief system. It can be about shared humanity and the bonds that link us together.
I was watching soccer (football) recently and saw a video that struck me as the perfect of example of how connected human beings can be when it comes to shared experiences:
That’s a group of Dutch supporters lined up outside the stadium prior to a match against Poland in the Euro 2024 competition. As an avid sports fan, I’ve had that sort of experience before and whether you’re into sports, music, the arts or your cultural moment of choice, that example can help us feel what it’s like to be connected so closely to total strangers and how similar our shared experience is on this planet
Using Connectedness with your Team
Now let’s narrow this concept down to your organization and the work your team does. Those who have talent in Connectedness might see every little choice, every step in the process of serving the greater good of the team.
As a Relationship Building domain theme, these individuals can keep us grounded and centered on the “why” of our work. Yes, we’re all individuals with goals but the person with Connectedness can help us see how we can benefit individually if we work together for a greater purpose.
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