Here’s a collection of the best blog posts over the last month written by top leadership bloggers. Thanks to Dan McCarthy over at Great Leadership for organizing it.
Tag Archives: leadership speaker
We Need More “Heart and Soul” in the Age of “Mind and Strength”
Wise organizations distinguish themselves from competitors by developing their heart and soul. Organizations that have heart and soul enrich their owners, customers and communities in both economic and non-economic ways.
What do I mean by heart and soul? Let me explain.
While out running errands one day when we were relatively new to town, my wife stopped in at one of several jewelry stores on the main shopping street. The cases were filled with beautiful pieces, new and heirloom. The salespeople, however, were more than aloof. They ignored her. No eye contact. No smile. No “hello, my name is X, may I help you?” This lack of connection made her feel as if they thought she was unworthy of their attention. Not surprisingly, she has never gone back. These salespeople lacked the qualities I describe as heart and soul.
The absence of heart and soul in the workplace is not unusual. This is the age of mind and strength. So often we focus on the tasks of our work and neglect the relational aspects. As human beings we have emotions, hopes and dreams, a conscience, and deeply felt human needs. Research from a variety of fields has shown that when we recognize these realities and treat others in ways consistent with them, we thrive. When we don’t, it is damaging to our mental and physical health and to the health of those around us.
Vince Lombardi on Broadway?
It takes guts to bring a drama to Broadway these days without a megastar playing the lead. To top it off, the producers of the show Lombardi promise to reveal why the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers football team was so successful. Lots of luck with that, I thought, when I first read about the show. My curiosity got the best of me, however, once I learned that Lombardi was based on one of my favorite sports biographies, David Maraniss’ When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi.
Do Women Bring More Happiness to Families, Greater Effectiveness to Organizations?
A participant in a recent session Jason Pankau and I were teaching on Connection Cultures and employee engagement shared that she connects with her sons by talking about sports. She follows sports, not out of a love for it, but because it gives her a language to connect with her boys. By contrast, her conversations with women tend to be about what happens in their day-to-day lives.
Her comments reminded me of a recent article in The New York Times entitled “Why Sisterly Chats Make People Happier.” The article noted research has concluded families with sisters are happier. The article’s author believes this is true because women initiate and sustain conversations more than men.
This is consistent with my own personal observations.
Servant Leaders Outperform Because They Connect
Servant leaders connect with the people they lead and create Connection Cultures that are essential to achieve sustainable superior performance. Connection is defined as a bond that exists among a group of people based on shared identity, empathy and understanding that moves self–centered individuals toward group-centered membership. Here’s an example of a servant leader that brings the force of connection to life.
Retired CNO Admiral Vern Clark was formerly the chief of the U.S. Navy from 2000 until 2005. When Admiral Clark became the chief, first term re-enlistment didn’t meet the Navy’s goal of 38 percent. Within a little more than a year, it soared from under 38 percent to 56.7 percent and the Navy had more sailors that it needed. Although I don’t have space in this article to tell you all of what Admiral Clark did, his actions can be summarized in three words: Vision, Value and Voice.
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
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“
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.
Posts from Top Leadership Bloggers
Check out this sampling of posts from top leadership bloggers as part of a leadership carnival hosted by Mary Jo Asmus.
New Employee Engagement Articles in India, Canada
Outlook Business magazine in India and HiringSmart.com in Toronto published articles on connection, employee engagement and alignment. The articles are entitled, respectively, “Connect With Them” and “The Case for Connection at Work.”