Michael Lee Stallard

#43 Hold Knowledge Flow Sessions Frequently – When new employees arrive they should participate in a Knowledge Flow Session on your organization’s history, mission, values and broad strategy.  Major initiatives and annual plans should be communicated in Knowledge Flow Sessions with the number of participants small enough for conversations to occur. Team Knowledge Flow Sessions should occur frequently to keep the team aligned and accountable (one organization we know calls their weekly operational Knowledge Flow Session the “Sweat the Details” meeting).  As plans change, consider holding Knowledge Flow Sessions to keep everyone in the loop.

This is the forty-third post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

#42 Know Your Direct Reports’ Career Experiences/Aspirations – Ask your direct reports about their prior work experiences, and what they liked and didn’t like about those experiences. Ask them about their career aspirations and how you can help them make progress toward those aspirations.  Write down what you learn and identify specific actions you can take to help them.  These actions may include job or project assignments, coaching or mentoring, or training.

This is the forty-second post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

Why does employee engagement matter? Check out this handy infographic for key reasons why every organization should care about this important topic. Feel free to share with your leadership team!

I’m happy to announce that my company, E Pluribus Partners, is now on LinkedIn! LinkedIn is another wonderful platform for sharing and discussing ideas about employee engagement and leadership, and we look forward to sharing helpful advice through this practical channel.

Follow our company page today and join the conversation!

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#41 Celebrate Team Successes – When your team accomplishes a major goal, celebrate as a group with a party, meal, or outing. Ask people for suggestions about how to celebrate.  If you can afford it, invite them to bring a significant other to join in the celebration.

This is the forty-first post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

As seen on Fox Business and SmartBlog on Leadership.

What separates the best leaders from the rest when it comes to employee engagement?

Our research shows the best leaders communicate an inspiring vision and live it, value people and give them a voice. Here are seven of the 100+ best practices that leaders can use to engage people. Read more »

#40 Ask, Don’t Order – When you want someone to do something, ask him/her, don’t order him/her to do it. Asking creates partnership while ordering reinforces hierarchy. Partnerships connect people to the process whereas emphasizing hierarchy by ordering them is disconnecting. By taking this approach, people are far more likely to trust you when you do need to issue orders in emergency situations.

This is the fortieth post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

As seen on Fox Business and SmartBlog on Leadership.

Is your boss or a co-worker increasingly irritable, angry, withdrawn or acting in a predatory manner?  Or are you noticing that behavior in yourself? With rising demands in today’s workplace, emotional and behavioral disorders have soared.  In Untangling the Mind: Why We Behave the Way We Do, Ted George, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at George Washington School of Medicine and neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health, helps us understand America’s surge in emotional and behavioral disorders, including those we see in the workplace.  Grasping “why” we instinctively react in certain ways is the first step in affecting change.  Read more »

#39 Provide Clarity on Critical Actions – Make sure your direct reports know what you are counting on them to do and when it needs to be completed. The lack of clarity, especially on critical actions, undermines connection.  When it comes to critical actions, it’s best to put them in writing.

This is the thirty-ninth post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

#38 Make Lunch and Break Connections – In many workplace cultures today, taking lunch away from your desk may brand you as a slacker.  It’s too bad this is the case since taking time to connect with someone who energizes you is a great way to boost your personal productivity by refreshing and re-energizing your brain. Try it this week.

This is the thirty-eighth post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.