Invite people to lunch

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 lear…