Category Archives: Connection Culture

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Free Connection and Employee Engagement Webinar Oct. 21, 22

Learn why U2, Apple, Pixar and other great teams and organizations thrive as Jason Pankau and I present a one-hour webinar on the force of connection and how it impacts employee engagement for Toolbox for HR on Oct. 21 and for individuals in Pacific time zones on Oct. 22.

The webinar will focus on the six universal human needs to thrive at work, the three elements of a Connection Culture that boost employee engagement and strategic alignment, and select best practices of great leaders who connect with and engage the individuals they lead.  You can sign up for the free webinar at the links below:

Oct. 21 from 12:00 PM until 1:00 PM EDT: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/980065897

Pacific Friendly Webinar on Oct. 22 at 6:30 AM Friday (Mumbai), 12:00 PM Friday (Sydney), or Oct. 21 from 9:00 PM until 10:00 PM EDT (U.S.): https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/128615569

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Podcasts, Webcasts, Articles on Employee Engagement and Connection

Tomorrow I will be doing a podcast interview with Rena Reese on her Soul Salon program.  We will be talking about Connection Cultures, employee engagement, employee motivation and other ideas in Fired Up or Burned Out.  You can listen live and call in to participate at 1:00 PM Eastern.  Here’s the link.

We have podcasts and webcasts scheduled with organizations including Giant Impact (TBD), the New Talent Management Network (11/16) and the Corporate Executive Board’s Toolbox for HR (10/20).  Soon we expect to announce podcasts or webcasts with the Human Capital Institute and HSM.

Just to mention it, several articles on Connection Cultures were published are now available in online versions.

Outlook Business for Decision Makers (India) “Connect with Them”

The Economic Times (India) “Has SAS Institute’s Chairman Jim Goodnight Cracked the Code of Corporate Culture?”

Leader to Leader Journal (U.S.) “To Boost Performance, Connect with the Core.”

Hiring Smart (Canada) “The Case for Connection at Work“

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At Times, Trust = Connection + Contract

Research has shown that insisting on a written contract reduces trust.  There are times when it’s best to avoid a written contract.  After all, it takes time to work through a written agreement and if you hire a lawyer, it can get expensive.

At other times, however, it’s wise to reduce the terms of an agreement to writing.  A written agreement encourages greater clarity and reduces the risk of misunderstanding.  You would be surprised how often people assume there is a meeting of minds when in fact substantial differences exist.  This is especially true when it comes to more complex agreements and agreements that are executed over longer periods of time.

Another benefit of a written agreement is that it makes it easier for successors to step in to execute the terms of the agreement if one of the parties changes roles in their company, leaves their company or gets hit by a bus.

Personally, I like to get most agreements in writing while taking time to develop a connection with the individuals I’m entering into the agreement with.  I get to know them as people by asking questions about where they grew up and what their interests are outside of work.  I try to find shared interests, values and experiences that develop a connection and trust.

The “Connection + Contract” approach applies to “internal contracts” inside your organization too.  When you send someone an email or memo the summarizes what each of you agreed to do and when you will do it, you are creating a written internal contract.

Connection + Contract has the benefit of building trust that comes from developing a connection while also bringing greater clarity of terms that will maximize a meeting of the minds and expectations.

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The Pride Paradox

Michael Lee Stallard and Jason Pankau

In a recent post, I (Michael) wrote about a leader who imparted his values to the people he was responsible for leading at work and to his children.  In this post, we’ll address the “pride paradox” that relates to values.

Imparting one’s values to others and judging them based on their values has the potential to create a culture of self-righteousness and legalism. Mark Twain alluded to this when he described some people as “good in the worst sense of the word.”

Don’t get us wrong, great leaders impart their values to others and judge others by their values.  Herein lies the paradox.  Some leaders who do this fail to develop what is arguably the most important character value: humility.

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Our Book Now in Korean + New Video Interview

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A couple news items to report.

Our publisher, Thomas Nelson, just informed me that the Korean language version of Fired Up or Burned Out is now available (see cover above). Author, speaker Mark Thompson recently emailed me a video of an interview I did with Mark and his wife Bonita for the Leader to Leader Institute’s Leadership Dialogues series. You can view the video on Facebook at this link.

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Leadership, Employee Engagement and Innovation at BIF-6 Summit

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Last week I attended the 2010 Business Innovation Factory Collaborative Innovation Summit in Providence, Rhode Island (referred to as BIF-6).  There were so many thoughtful presentations that I hesitate to merely highlight a few.   After taking a couple days to mull it over I’ve decided to select a few presentations that will be most relevant to the themes I typically write and speak about i.e. leadership, connection, employee engagement, productivity and innovation.  Below are brief descriptions of several presentations from the conference.  For those who want to hear these or other presentations, you can access them at this link.

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People, Planet, Profit – Triple Bottom Line Radio

On September 29 at 7:00 PM Eastern I’ll be joining hosts Angelo Fernando and Derrick Mains on their Triple Bottom Line radio program that addresses issues related to people, planet and profit. Check out their website at this link.  You can listen to the program in the Phoenix area on KFNX 1100 AM, listen to it streaming live, and even participate by calling in at (866)536-1100 or tweeting @your3bl.

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BIF-6: Stunning Sights, Interesting People, Innovative Ideas

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Life is good!  Today began with a drive East from my home in Connecticut to Saul Kaplan’s wonderful Business Innovation Factory Conference (called “BIF-6”) in Providence, Rhode Island.  Driving into the sunrise on this sunny, clear day with a hint of Fall in the air was simply stunning.  It’s hard to sustain the momentum from an inspiring start like that but the day just kept getting better as I arrived in this historic city, dropped my bags off at a marvelous old hotel, entered the beautiful Trinity Rep Theater where the conference is being held, saw old friends, made new friends, interviewed Zappo’s CEO Tony Hsieh (for an article I’m writing), and heard interesting speakers with innovative ideas. To sum it up, it was a day of connecting with stunning sights, interesting people and innovative ideas.

IMG_1050I’m a big fan of attending conferences like BIF-6 because it refreshes by helping me step back from the day-to-day rhythm to consider the big picture, think strategically, and connect with people and ideas.  (Just to mention it, you can enjoy the presentations tomorrow that will be streaming live at this link. I understand that some of the BIF-6 sessions will be available online so if and when they are posted I’ll blog the links to some of my favorites.)

On another topic, stay tuned for details on new public engagements Jason Pankau and I recently committed to including for the Singapore HR Summit, TCU’s Tandy Executive Leadership Series, The New Talent Management Network and the Corporate Executive Board’s Toolbox for HR.   Also, later this month we’ll be posting a link to the article I wrote for India’s Outlook Business magazine.

(Pictures: Top – In front of the Trinity Rep theater this AM was the Delivering Happiness Bus that promotes Tony Hsieh’s book of the same name. Below – Sayantani DasGupta, a physician and expert on narrative medicine, telling a story at BIF-6 inside the Trinity Rep Theater.)