In the past four years, HR professionals have encountered a host of challenges, including seismic work shifts due to the Covid-19 pandemic, The Great Resignation, and much more. Caught between the dictates of upper management and the wrath of employees in response to policy changes, HR professionals are feeling misunderstood, frustrated, and disengaged.
Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Will Milano, Chief Marketing Officer at Integrity Solutions and host of the Mental Selling podcast, about why connection matters in sales.
Recently, SmartBrief on Leadership published an article I wrote about Costco’s stakeholder capitalism approach to business.
First published by Smartbrief on Leadership
As artificial intelligence continues to advance, the internal workings of Microsoft should be a matter of interest to more than just its employees and shareholders. Being a major player in AI, Microsoft will face considerable opportunities, challenges, and even threats of enormous magnitude in the years to come. Is Microsoft ready to navigate well if the sometimes smooth, sometimes choppy waters in the world of technology suddenly turn chaotic?
The combination of rising political division and declining employee engagement levels present a significant challenge for organizations.
However, by training leaders and managers to cultivate cultures of connection, we can create workplaces where employees thrive despite their differences. This not only enhances individual and team performance but also contributes to a more harmonious and productive organizational culture. It is time for leaders to take proactive steps in building connected cultures that transcend political differences and foster a more engaged, collaborative, and cooperative workforce.
I wrote about this topic in a recent SmartBrief on Leadership article. In it, you can learn more about my recommendations on how to prepare your leaders for the upcoming election season.
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
In the annals of history and the chronicles of modern times, the rise and fall of leaders provide valuable lessons about the essential traits of effective leadership for current leaders, aspiring leaders, and the organizations that hire and promote them. One recurring theme is the disastrous consequences when charisma precedes character.
A sobering report was released by Gallup Research recently: At 30 percent, employee engagement has hit its lowest point in over a decade, dropping an additional three points in the first quarter of 2024 from the end of 2023. That drop equates to another 4.8 million U.S. workers who are now in the “I’ll just do the basics of what I need to do” or “Why should I bother?” camp. This revelation is not just a statistic; it’s a wake-up call for organizations.
The announcement comes down from above: the current boss is leaving and a new boss from outside the team has been chosen. What if this change takes the team by surprise and little more is shared about the situation? Now, if the current leader has been ineffective or difficult to work under, then this news may come as a relief to the people on the team. Regardless, cue the side conversations and speculation and the range of emotions that come with it, chief among them nervousness. What will this new boss be like? Is the person a command-and-control type who will dictate all sorts of changes? Is anyone’s job safe? Will they be connection-minded, welcoming input and establishing a sense of belonging and collaboration?
With all of the dialogue about how AI will shape our futures, let’s not forget to consider the impact of AI on one of the most important drivers of personal well being and organizational performance: human connection.
Can real-life office connections save lives? Consider this: a chance meeting in an office setting years ago set in motion a vaccine to prevent untold number of deaths due to Covid-19.
Dr. Katalin Kariko and Dr. Drew Wiseman, both researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, got to talking one day about their respective areas of RNA and immunology as they took turns using a copier. That friendly conversation led to a collaboration that ultimately resulted in the mRNA technology used in the first Covid-19 vaccines. For their pioneering work, in 2023 the two were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.