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Leaders: Don’t Forget to Make Time for Q&A

Disengaged employees explaining employee engagement to their boss

#49 Make Time for Q&A

If you directly and indirectly lead a large number of people, set aside times for people to ask questions that you then answer.  You can have people anonymously submit questions or just ask them during the meeting.

Howard Behar, former President of Starbucks North America and Starbucks International, called the sessions he held “Open Forums.” Jim Goodnight, CEO of SAS Institute, holds sessions like this that are referred to as “Java with Jim.” Vineet Nayar, former CEO of HCL, had people email him questions that he answered on his blog so everyone could see the question and his response. The founders of Google used to do this each Friday at the “TGIF” meeting by having people email questions that are then posted on Google’s intranet. Google employees would vote on the questions and Google’s founders would answer the questions that receive the most votes.

This is the forty-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.

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3 Ways to Improve Your Health and Lifespan Through Work

Happy woman at office

As seen on SmartBlog on Leadership and Fox Business. 

Happiness is good, right? Researchers led by Stephen Cole at U.C.L.A recently made a stunning discovery. They studied the gene expression profiles of people who experienced happiness from seeking pleasure and those who experienced happiness from seeking meaningful purpose in life. While both pleasure and purpose seekers reported experiencing happiness at a conscious level, the gene expression profiles of the two groups’ told a different story.

The profiles of the purpose seekers exhibited low levels of inflammatory gene expression and strong levels of antiviral and antibody genes. The pleasure seekers showed the opposite. Their profiles were consistent with people who are more likely to experience adverse health and premature death. 

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Connect With Your Direct Reports By Helping Them Find Mentors

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#48 Arrange for Peer Mentoring

A great way leaders can serve their direct reports is by making peer mentors available for those who want to improve in a specific area of competence or character. Select a mentor who is strong in the given area, and make the introduction. The mentor does not necessarily have to be someone at a higher level in the company, but should be someone knowledgeable about the area and willing to help others grow.

This is the forty-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.

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Cut the Strings: Provide Autonomy in Execution

Smiling leader talking to employee

#47 Provide Autonomy in Execution

Monitor progress and be available to help your direct reports but refrain from “micro managing” unless they ask for specific help. This meets the human need for autonomy that allows people to experience personal growth.

This is the forty-seventh 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.

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What CEOs Can Learn from Alcoholics Anonymous

Change-Direction

By Michael Lee Stallard and Colton Perry

As seen on Fox Business.

Change is hard.  It requires energy and effort. Some people relish change; most resist, consciously or unconsciously.  For them change is uncomfortable at best, painful at worst.  CEOs who want to effect major change have their work cut out for them.

It might not be an obvious place to look, but CEOs can learn about successfully implementing change from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Beating addiction is no easy feat. Seventy percent of addicts relapse within one year.  Since its founding in 1935, AA has helped many alcoholics change their attitudes, language and behaviors to resist drinking alcohol despite the extremely unpleasant sensations of withdrawal.  Clearly AA is doing something right because presently it is helping more than 2 million members in 180 countries.  How does AA do it?

Here are three insights from AA’s approach that CEOs need to understand if they are to succeed at changing their organizations.

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Connect by Holding Individual Knowledge Flow Sessions

Business People Sharing Knowledge#46 Hold Individual Knowledge Flow Sessions

Begin by making a list of the people you must interact with in order to perform your work well. Similar to Group Knowledge Flow Sessions, in meeting with individuals, share your Vision for what relevant actions need to be taken in your work with them, who you see as responsible for each action, and when it needs to be completed; ask them to tell you “what’s right, what’s wrong and what’s missing” from your thinking; and consider their ideas and opinions to learn from them and show you value them.

This is the forty-sixth 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.

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Seek Ideas and Opinions in Group Knowledge Flow Sessions

Man having an idea#45 Seek Ideas and Opinions in Group Knowledge Flow Sessions

When leading Knowledge Flow Sessions, share with participants that “I don’t have a monopoly on good ideas and we will be our best only when we all share our opinions and ideas.” Encourage dialogue by asking participants to tell you “what’s right, what’s wrong and what’s missing” from your thinking.

Everyone’s opinions and ideas should be considered so ask people who are quiet to share what they think.  Listen and consider the ideas put forth.  Implement good ideas and give credit where it’s due.  This practice reflects the character strengths of integrity, humility, curiosity and open-mindedness.

This is the forty-fifth 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.

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Lead with Vision in Group Knowledge Flow Sessions

Businessman Showing Cards

Photo Credit: StockImages

#44 Lead with Vision in Group Knowledge Flow Sessions

A knowledge flow session is a meeting that allows leaders to both inform and listen to members of their teams. Begin by sharing your Vision, i.e. your thoughts about what actions need to be done, by whom, and when each action needs to be completed. We call this “putting your cards on the table.”

In the coming weeks, I will share more helpful tips for facilitating knowledge flow sessions.

This is the forty-fourth 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.