It’s back-to-school time across the U.S. A new school year brings with it hope and excitement as well as its share of nervousness and concern. A student might wonder if she will fit in with her classmates or if he will be able to keep up with the academic load. A teacher might wonder if he will be able to engage all of his students or if she can handle the demanding workload.
I believe it’s wise for leaders to develop their organizational culture by being intentional about strengthening the bonds of connection and trust among leaders and employees. As the president of a company that helps coach leaders on improving connections within their businesses, I have seen the importance of strengthening bonds and trust among team members.
There are three steps I’ve developed throughout my coaching practice that can help build strong connections within your organization.
It’s no secret that the right organizational culture can make companies more successful. That was the topic of conversation in a recent Manage 2 Win podcast hosted by Jeff and David Russell.
Listen as Katie Stallard and I describe what a Connection Culture is and how it helps companies to win in the full podcast episode.
My wife Katie and I recently interviewed with Doug Hensch, host of the Looking for And podcast. In the interview, we seek to answer why some organizations both consistently outperform their competitors AND serve as great places to work. We also share how Katie’s cancer journey influenced our thoughts on loneliness, resilience, and Connection Culture.
Listen to the episode and consider sharing it with a friend.
Sometimes life lessons come from surprising places. In early 2004, just nine months after completing treatment for breast cancer, my wife, Katie, was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. During the months that followed, I learned an important lesson about connection that influenced my perspective on how to approach organizational change.
I wrote about this lesson in an article published by SmartBrief. If you are navigating change in your organization or personal life, I hope this piece is an encouragement to you.
Workplaces are full of disconnected people. There are still far too many leaders who, consciously or unconsciously, allow cultures of control or indifference that are disengaging and stressful for those under them.
Studies show the continued growth in the number of people who are lonely, which has reached epidemic levels in many countries.
Recently, my wife, Katie, and I had the opportunity to teach a Connection Culture Workshop for the Institute for Management Studies in Columbus, Ohio. Mary Held, head of IMS Columbus, made us aware of this outstanding brief on the global loneliness epidemic published by The Week. I encourage you to read the brief and consider the steps you could take to reduce loneliness in your workplace and community.
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Rana Olk, founder and host of The School of Connection podcast. We talked about America’s loneliness epidemic, the factors contributing to loneliness, global trends in loneliness and connection, and how to become more connected in your community.
I recently had the privilege of being a guest on the Your Partner in Success Radio Podcast. Listen to the full episode to hear us discuss the superpower of human connection and how to foster it in your workplace.
I highly recommend reading Stanford Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer’s recent books, Leadership B.S. and Dying for a Paycheck. In them he makes a compelling case that most leadership training has failed to produce effective leaders and that the poor state of the vast majority of workplace cultures today is harming the health of people. He provides an abundance of evidence to support these conclusions. Professor Pfeffer recommends boosting connection in workplace cultures (which, as most of you know, is the focus of our work). You could read Professor Pfeffer’s books and become depressed, but I’m not. Below I explain why.