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Invite people to lunch

Invite people to lunch

2018-04-26

When you work at a very large company, especially one that has experienced a lot of growth, it’s easy to lose touch with people and feel less socially connected. A couple of years ago, I decided to start sending out lunch invites to people, just one person at a time. I tried to vary the kinds of people I invited:

  • People I’ve known forever but lost track of
  • People in different organizations (i.e. not just engineering)
  • People new to the area where I work or perhaps new to Apple People that are great to brainstorm with
  • People I work with cross-functionally
  • People who spend too much time in their offices and otherwise have work/life balance issues

Many people need to be dragged away from their desks! Taking a break for an hour can have a lot of benefits:

  • Networking can be tremendously important
  • It’s a great mental break
  • You can get some great ideas by talking with people from very different areas of the company
  • You can make some new friends
  • You can help new Apple employees find their way
  • You can learn more about things your company does that you never knew about
  • You can possibly get some sun and fresh air
  • You can get out of a rut of eating with your team or the same people every day
  • You can get away from your desk if you typically eat lunch there (bad!)

Sometimes an out-of-the-blue invite can catch people off guard, so I sometimes send an email ahead of time and say “Hey, I do this thing where I invite random people to lunch. I won’t be offended if you decline.” Sometimes I’ll invite someone I barely know and they can behave strangely.

So, invite people to lunch. Inviting more than one might be more comfortable. You could invite me to lunch! Contact Me.


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25 years in tech. I like to write manifestos. I like to offer interesting tips. I like making fun of things. Everyone copes differently.

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