What Convenience Is Costing Your Organization

When Starbucks introduced the order-ahead feature on their app, I was staunchly against it. Not because I didn't like the convenience of it, but because I worried it was one more way for us to lose the opportunity to connect, human to human.

Years later, I'm a regular order-ahead user. I switched because so many people were ordering ahead that ordering at the counter took longer than it used to. So reluctantly, I use it. And if I'm being honest, I appreciate the convenience when I'm in a hurry. But now, I work harder to make sure the employees hear me say "hello" and "thank you."

This morning I walked in to pick up my pre-ordered London Fog and bacon and gruyere egg bites, and the team shouted a loud "welcome in." My drink was ready before my food. As I approached the pick-up counter, one barista complimented my dress, asked if it had pockets (it does), and we got into a short exchange about why all dresses should have pockets. Later, that same barista called out "Miss Paula" like she knew me and asked if I had fun plans for the weekend. As I left, I asked her name and thanked her for giving my day a good start. I walked to my car genuinely grateful for the exchange.

Life moves fast, and our tolerance for human connection has waned, despite the fact that it's what helps us thrive. I'm old enough to remember racing to answer the house phone, hoping the call was from somebody special. Today, we schedule calls and apologize for leaving voicemails, because who has time to listen to those?

This isn't just happening in coffee shops. It's happening in our organizations. Back-to-back meetings leave no room for the two minutes of catching up that used to build trust before the agenda started. Slack messages replace hallway conversations. Status updates replace the kind of honest check-in where someone might actually say how they're doing. As technology creates more convenience and more productivity, an unintended consequence is the quiet erosion of the connection that used to hold teams together.

I'm not against any of it. I use AI myself and appreciate how it helps me think through ideas. Sometimes AI is a better listener than some people in my life; I've felt genuinely heard by it when I was struggling with something. But as much as I appreciate AI, it is not a replacement for the understanding, witnessing, and trust that only comes through human-to-human interaction. No organization runs well without that.

So today, we need to work harder at building and maintaining real connection, especially in the rooms where strategy, culture, and change actually get decided.

Sitting in circle is part of the solution. When people gather in circle, we stop the distractions, slow the conversation, and let every voice have equal time and presence. We are present, we hold space, we listen, and teams remember what it is to be in genuine dialogue instead of just exchanging information.

Next time I'm in Starbucks, I'll look for that barista. I'll be reminded of how a few genuine seconds made me feel seen. That's not an insignificant thing. That's the thing organizations are quietly losing, one convenience at a time.

I'm not encouraging you to slow down your operations or skip the tools that make work efficient. But I am encouraging you to notice where your teams have stopped truly connecting, and to build in a space where that connection isn't left to chance.

That's what circle council is. No performing. No pretending. Just people showing up as they are, listening to one another, and remembering what honest dialogue feels like.

If your team is ready for that kind of connection, let's talk about bringing circle into your organization.