MIT Sloan Management Review

“Virtual meeting fatigue” is no longer just a buzz phrase — it’s a measurable neurological phenomenon. Brain- and heart-monitoring?experiments have shown that video calls drain us more than face-to-face meetings do, but a few practical fixes can boost meeting effectiveness and protect employee well-being. https://mitsmr.com/4kF4R7m

It’s tough out there, right? The business world is “dog eat dog”; you’re “swimming with sharks”; it’s like Lord of the Flies. Buck up, buttercup! What’s funny about the way we talk about the brutality of life in organizations is that the metaphors themselves are wrong. Dogs don’t seek out other dogs in order to eat them; unprovoked shark attacks are incredibly infrequent; and when Lord of the Flies played out in real life when a group of schoolboys was marooned on an island, they actually cooperated and helped each other. They even set one boy’s broken leg successfully. When we stop maligning dogs, sharks, and schoolboys, studies on human nature show us to be pretty nice beings, at the core. One large-scale study showed that in a situation where generosity was being tested, people’s first impulses were unselfish ones: When people made up their minds quickly, they were more likely to share a pot of money. Wanting to do the right thing is hardwired into us from infancy; babies will pick a puppet that seems to help other puppets over a puppet that seems to behave cruelly, for example. So, what’s going on in organizations, then? How are we adding up basically decent people into agglomerations where empathy seems to be in such short supply? Recent data shows that only 41% of employees feel like someone cares about them at work. Other studies show that up to 92% of people seek out empathic organizations when looking for a job. Do you see the profound disconnect? So many of us want to feel cared about at work yet don’t feel that anyone does care. When so much key talent seems in short supply, how do we fix the problem and create the sorts of empathic companies where people actually want to work? https://mitsmr.com/3SXlhuV

Over the course of several years, our research has included observing dozens of real-time reconnections at industry conventions and conducting 71 interviews with executives across the textile industry in Northern Italy. We identified three elements consistently associated with successful reconnections: how well both parties remember each other, how they go about catching up, and whether they perceive the relationship similarly. We developed a model of reconnections that result in activity where one or both parties obtain resources through the tie, such as a productive collaboration or useful advice. We then tested this model in an experiment with 331 U.S. workers to assess the impact of each of the three elements on another person’s willingness to help. We provided a vignette describing a reconnection attempt by a former coworker and asked, “How willing would you be to help this person?” We measured whether people’s willingness changed based on whether a reconnection element was present or absent. We found that with none of the elements present, people’s willingness was neutral at best — 3.86 on a scale from 1 (unwilling) to 7 (willing). When all three elements were present, it went from neutral to, essentially, “Yes, I’d agree to help” (5.72). This validated our findings. We also confirmed that the three reconnection elements are useful. Here’s how to work with each of the three key elements. 1. Remembering. Recognizing each other is critical, and a failure to do so can feel embarrassing and even insulting. 2. Catching up. Updating the other person on professional and even personal matters since you last saw each other brings the relationship into the present and allows you to fill in the picture of what has happened while the relationship was dormant. 3. Perceiving the tie similarly. Both sides need to be on the same page about the relationship, such as how close you two feel, whether your roles or companies are in competition, and whether you are of similar or different status. https://mitsmr.com/3Rx2qHO

Nancy Duarte interviewed 20 of her customers, all in senior roles at Fortune 100 companies, and asked them their biggest pain point in presenting to higher-ups and even colleagues. What she heard consistently was that it can feel like Goldilocks bouncing from one option to the next, testing to figure out what’s “just right.” Does the audience want deep reports? Sparse slides? Something in between? Like … what? Teams often come to presentation meetings with vast amounts of backup content just in case an exec wants to take a deep dive on any given point. There’s often a struggle to anticipate every direction attendees might want to go. It’s frustrating, and it’s not efficient. There are many ways to build slides. I’m not just talking about crafting them well versus poorly. I’m talking about all of the important decisions regarding how to organize them, how much text to use, when to lean into a chart, the best ways to use bullets and color, and whether to include an appendix with additional information. Before you make your next proposal or request of the executive team, use this list of 11 tips for your next set of slides as a guide. ?? Start with an executive summary. ?? Have a logical organization. ?? Make it skimmable. ?? Ask how dense is too dense. ?? Confirm the delivery format and timing. ?? Find out how much data visualization they prefer. ?? Identify which details need spelling out. ?? Ask whether appendices will be useful. ?? Anticipate questions, and practice your answers. ?? Ask for feedback after the presentation. https://mitsmr.com/3IYBmvN

Most companies address burnout with efforts like encouraging vacations, hosting company gatherings, or making mindfulness apps available to employees. These are all valid options, and they do help people recharge, but they don’t necessarily address the underlying source of people’s exhaustion or detachment. Once people return from a vacation, for instance, the conditions that caused their detachment often simply resume. This is where understanding the sentiments in context can also provide a path for action. If feeling unappreciated is a symptom, think about how to help people feel recognized for their accomplishments. If the problem is lack of control over a flood of projects, consider how to give employees more agency and empowerment to prioritize their work. In our research, factors related to people’s careers — such as feeling that their career goals can be met and that their job makes good use of their skills and abilities — show up as top drivers related to increased feelings of accomplishment and reduced feelings of cynicism. Having time for learning and support for flexible work are top ways to remediate exhaustion. We’ve also found patterns as employees climb the org chart. For example, people experience more exhaustion as they move into management and the executive ranks, but they also may experience less cynicism because they can see more clearly how their work relates to the company strategy. Looking at the dimensions of burnout can help put the employee experience in context, which in turn can help you determine how to approach the following actions. https://mitsmr.com/41w9gOY

To execute strategy, leaders must set ambitious targets, translate them into specific metrics and milestones, make them transparent throughout the organization, and discuss progress frequently. https://mitsmr.com/2Hnx3rv

Product management is one of the fastest-growing roles in business, having gained increased scope and importance in Silicon Valley. While product managers used to be hired almost exclusively by technology companies, they are now being recruited in growing numbers by service-oriented businesses as well, with firms such as Accenture, Chase, JPMorgan, Optum, and Vanguard adding product management functions in the past few years. Why are services companies looking to add product capabilities to their organizations? Professional services firms, which span a wide range of sectors, including IT, legal, marketing, and tax and accounting services, face two major growth challenges. Owing to the significant human involvement in service delivery, their gross margins are low, and their head counts scale linearly with increases in revenue. Product companies enjoy much higher growth margins and revenue per employee. This explains why startups that offer software-as-a-service products are valued at six to eight times their annual revenues, whereas startups that offer project-based services are valued at one to two times their annual revenues. Recognizing the challenges of margins and scalability, professional services firms are trying to evolve into product-like companies by productizing their services. This involves automating, standardizing, and packaging aspects of a service into a tangible, repeatable, and scalable offering that is efficient to produce and easier to scale. https://mitsmr.com/3Tco7x5

Are you a leader who sparks meaningful conversation — or one who breeds apathy? Use these strategies to improve meeting engagement and fuel team success. https://mitsmr.com/3XKQ2FC

How leaders communicate with prospective and current staff members can significantly affect their organization’s reputation as a place where people want to work. After all, having a culture that incorporates transparent and open communication is essential to building trust and loyalty. According to research, oral and written communication skills are among the top five most sought-after attributes in potential new hires: Employers want workers who can effectively convey their ideas, perspectives, and knowledge. Employees with strong communication skills are able to express their thoughts and emotions clearly, making them more efficient in the workplace. Additionally, they are better equipped to manage challenging conversations or negotiations with clients or coworkers through their ability to listen attentively, provide accurate feedback, and resolve conflicts. Good communication skills also foster a better company culture: Employees create a stronger bond when they are able to effectively communicate with one another. This not only creates a cohesive and productive work environment but also increases their loyalty to the organization. https://mitsmr.com/3JyKUOI

Many leaders bemoan a lack of accountability on their team. But moaning about it — or scolding people — won’t fix the problem. A leader needs to understand what’s stopping people from behaving accountably and then address those challenges. The bad news is that you may have to actively disrupt some of your own long-held behaviors as well. Continue reading to learn what four questions to ask and the related tips to break problematic behavioral patterns accordingly. https://mitsmr.com/43ouS4H