Help Your Team Connect With a Connection Café

Two Coffee Cups for Connection Cafe

#87 Create a Connection Café

For those who would like to participate, put cards with all the names of participating team members in a hat and have everyone draw one card. The individual drawing the card must contact the person whose name is on the card and schedule a lunch or coffee with him/her.

This is the eighty-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.

Image courtesy of Flickr user Chichacha

4 Character Strengths Sustain U2’s Success

U2 in Concert

U2 went from a band people laughed at to become one of the greatest bands in history. Today, U2 has been awarded more Grammy awards than any other band and it surpassed the Rolling Stones’ record for the highest revenue generating concert tour. How did such a remarkable transformation happen and how has the band continued its success for more than four decades?

Bono, the band’s lyricist, lead singer and leader-among-equals has said the way the U2 works is more extraordinary than its music. He’s referring to U2’s culture — in other words, the predominant attitudes, language and behavior of U2’s members. Here are four character strengths that reflect U2’s culture and help explain how the band achieves sustained success.

Begin Meetings on a Positive Note

Excited Business Woman

#81 Begin Meetings on a Positive Note

Research has found that groups generate more potential solutions when meetings begin with positive comments. Rather than giving into the temptation to begin the meeting with a complaint, be the person who starts the meeting out with a positive comment. With that one simple action, you can contribute to a productive and positive experience for everyone.

This is the eighty-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.

New Connection Resource

Connection Culture Logo

I am thrilled to announce the launch of a project we here at E Pluribus Partners have been working on for quite some time: a brand new website dedicated to helping you foster Connection Cultures in your workplaces.

ConnectionCulture.com is a publishing site that features content from the best and brightest thinkers on connection. You’ll find thought-provoking articles on leadership, wellness, workplace issues, career advice, examples of great connectors and more.

Managers Can Connect by Offering to Help

Businessman transforming word impossible into possible#80 Ask: “What Can I Do?”

Periodically ask your direct reports what you can do to help them do their best work. Choose an action or actions they suggested and then follow up. In particular, look for obstacles that you can help remove.

This is the eightieth 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.

Carve Out Social Times to Connect at Work

ice cream

#79 Carve Out Social Times

Schedule regular social time for people to connect. Genentech has weekly Friday afternoon social times where they serve drinks and snacks. We know a manager who orders pizza and salad for his team every other Friday.

During the warm summer months, organize an ice cream social on Friday afternoon to bring your team together for conversation (include fruit for the those who prefer a more healthy alternative). You should help serve those in attendance and once everyone is served make your way around to say hello to everyone. Avoid talking about work matters and instead ask people about their interests outside of work and what they are looking forward to over the remainder of the year.

This is the seventy-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.

Find New Ways to Connect by Discussing a Story a Week

Fired Up or Burned Out Book Cover#78 Discuss a Story a Week

Part IV of Fired Up or Burned Out has 20 inspiring stories of great leaders who created Connection Cultures (see pages 132-194). Take your team through one story each week and discuss how you can employ the practices in each chapter to your workplace.

To receive a complimentary digital copy of Fired Up or Burned Out, sign up for my Connect to Thrive newsletter, which offers helpful tips and resources on connection.

This is the seventy-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.

How Leaders can Identify and Establish Core Values That Connect

Writing at Desk

If you asked your employees what the organization’s core values are, could they tell you? Most cannot.

This is a problem for leaders since it is impossible to create a healthy corporate culture, which I refer to as a “Connection Culture,” if employees can’t articulate what the organization stands for. Furthermore, the organization’s values should be ones that encourage connection and teamwork, rather than silos and dysfunctional behavior.

The following steps can help leaders to identify and establish core values that are meaningful and encourage connection across the entire organization:

Provide Constructive Feedback

Feedback

#77 Provide Constructive Feedback

When providing feedback to help someone improve, we recommend the following: always communicate it in private, be respectful in your tone of voice and volume, and begin with three positive things you like about his/her work.  After sharing the three positives, say “I believe you would be even better if… [insert what you want them to do or stop doing].” Kindness matters and the approach you take will affect how the person receives the feedback.

This is the seventy-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.