I am writing this from the airport as I prepare to fly my family to Amarillo. The occasion will be bittersweet at best, as I help my mom bury her mother. It was time, and she was in some pain. Having lost her husband a few months earlier, I think my sister-in-law said it best:

“Well, at least they are together again.” That, and they don’t have the burden of their broken vessels anymore.

Grandmommy was the glue that made us all play nice at times. When her husband and children were feeling a bit ornery, and the grand kids were feeling their oats, she reminded us that we were family and we can be decent to each other.

What made that work was the environment we all frequented. Her residence will forever be the most comfortable house I will ever enter. The home was always warm, inviting and always stocked for visitors. The five grandkids frequently skipped town in college for weekends in lap of luxury there.

As a result, it made all of us pass it on. In our own way, the five of us love welcoming people and making them feel at home.

I’m reminded of this whenever I host a meeting, plan a standup or send out an agenda. To get the most out our time together at work, it makes sense to help everyone to feel welcome or at home. Think of how productive the team can be if we merely pay attention to this detail.

This is why it matters how the coffee tastes, the chairs face, and how time is kept. Maintaining an attitude that welcomes is what invites everyone to participate. The result is trust, which builds transparency.