I just spent an amazingly fun day with three of my five siblings. We laughed, ate, complained and ate again – that is what an Italian family does. But we had a great time with each other. Sure, we had our squabbles as kids – six of us all about a year apart in age – but we were always close and have gotten closer as we aged. Time and careers have moved several of us far from the others (I now live the greatest distance away) but when I come home to New England, it is as if I never left. We are emotionally connected to each other…and this connection is never interrupted by time or distance.

So as I watched and participated in the antics of a large, opinionated, but loving and committed family, I was reminded of the power of our emotional connection and its lessons for work and life:
• Everyone is different and those who are the happiest are those who know themselves, and work in areas and live in ways that play to what they are good at and what activates their passions. My siblings are all very different. But each knows what he or she is great at and has built lives around what each is good at and what each loves to do. This activates our emotional connection to work and life helping us become more intrinsically happy (in life) and higher performing (in the workplace).
• Those who have married into the family are quickly and warmly received and accepted; they are as much a part of the family as my siblings and are emotionally invested in the family from the first day. Businesses that quickly and warmly welcome their new members win their respect and loyalty. Great businesses determine their new employees’ talents, values and interests to help them fit into the workplace right away, and to feel emotionally connected to their work and workplace. We all want to feel like we belong.
• We laugh, have a good time and have learned to keep things in perspective. We are serious when we need to be but not afraid to have fun. Workplaces and lives that build in fun and maintain perspective are not only more enjoyable but also are more productive. Many employees think work is a four-letter word. Great managers build fun wherever possible because it activates the emotional connection of employees to their work; employees contribute more, the emotion bonds between employees and the organization improve and performance increases. Always remember to laugh and have fun.

A Sunday with family was not only a moment to reconnect with family, but it was a lesson and reminder of how to work strong and live stronger. Many times, wisdom and lessons come from others; today it came again in the faces and voices of my siblings. Know yourself. Own your life. Love your work. Care. Love. Trust, Learn. Commit. Allora, tutti a tavola a mangiare.