Bonus Episode - Working Lunches with James Harding
Jan 30, 2025
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Discover how a simple lunch can reveal insights into colleagues and job candidates. The discussion highlights the evolution of business lunches, showcasing anecdotes that illustrate their significance. Personal stories emphasize the joys of meal preparation and the deep connections that shared dining experiences foster. Uncover the power of food in enhancing communication and building relationships in the workplace.
Conducting interviews over meals can reveal a candidate's true character and enhance understanding through relaxed communication.
The cultural shift towards discussing work during meals demonstrates an appreciation for informal settings to deepen professional connections.
Deep dives
The Impact of Dining on Conversations
Eating together enhances communication and understanding between individuals. Many people find that conducting interviews over a meal reveals a person’s true character and social behavior, such as how they treat service staff or their patience with meal delays. Different settings, like restaurants or casual dining, often provide a more relaxed atmosphere compared to formal meeting spaces, facilitating deeper discussions. For instance, one HR professional mentioned taking five hours to interview a candidate by first exploring their life story before discussing their professional experiences, emphasizing how dining can break down barriers in communication.
Cultural Shift in Dining and Professional Interactions
There is a notable evolution in the cultural perception of discussing work during meals. Historically, some professionals saw a clear separation between work and dining, believing that discussions about business should happen in offices rather than at the table. However, this has shifted, and many now appreciate the opportunities presented by informal dining settings to foster connections. Anecdotes shared in the conversation reflect this change, demonstrating how dining experiences can lead to unexpected insights into a person's character and decision-making, significantly enriching professional relationships.
What can a lunch tell you about a colleague, or a job candidate? In this bonus episode, Founder and Editor of Tortoise Media, James Harding, discusses the power of the working lunch.