Thursdays Leadership insight: The Power of Relationship in Your Leadership Practice – Connection

Has this ever happened to you? Your alarm goes off, and you grab your phone and realize you didn't connect it to the charger. While you were checking the phone to catch that one last text, the connection became loose, and the phone lost its power. Now you have a whole day to go on 14% power because you didn't monitor or pay attention to the connection. If you are like me, you may not notice it until the low-power sign comes up or the phone shuts down. You have to scramble to find that extra charger. The same is true of our connections with those we lead and serve. When the connections are tight, the power is tremendous. Suppose we, in our leadership practice, don't intentionally connect with those we lead. In that case, our relationship with them loses its power, requiring extra work to restore the connection or, in some cases, going dead. In an organization, this could be called burnout or disengagement. Either way, the organization and your leadership struggle.

Connection is the foundation of relationships and is a basic human need. This week, I am traveling to the International Maxwell Conference in Orlando. I am always excited about hearing, seeing, and learning new things, but for me, it is very much about the connections around the world that I have made by being at the executive level. I will see my Zoom friends from Africa or South America face to face for the first time and those I have worked with in other areas in the U.S. As a coach, speaker, and trainer in Maxwell Leadership. It vividly demonstrates the power of connection, the bedrock of building and nourishing relationships. Much like a device connected to a power source or the internet, seeing friends and colleagues is energizing and enlightening, as well as the prospect of making new connections.

I am an obsessive student of themes and patterns connected to leadership and organizations of all types. The connections and development of all we do in becoming a person and leader are based on relationships and their connections. The late leadership expert Warren Bennis said, "Becoming a leader is synonymous with?becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult." One of the themes/patterns of effective /great leadership is intentionally choosing to connect, develop, and nourish relationships. This week on Minute with Maxwell -Relationships, John Maxwell stated that relationships are the key to our being a "plus "who adds value to others or a" minus" who doesn't. Any Leader in any organization reflecting on their leadership understands their success or failures have had to do with connections and relationships. Relationships are built and flourish or are destroyed based on many factors. These factors are empathy, trust, candor, integrity, and courage, to name a few. The starting point of all relationships is connection. How often do we hear of a once tremendously successful leader's downfall characterized as "they just lost touch of who they were as a leader and who they served."

Belonging /Connection is a basic human need. In this period of change, two things are clear: varying means and methods of working, schooling, and church are developing. Leadership practice will be a constant in connection with this context of change. The intentional practice of connection will always be a primary part of leadership. Connection creates a common bond, a shared story, and a rallying cry to move forward. And a power to the organization. Leadership expert Brene Brown writes that connection is vital to organizations, noting that" connection is the energy between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued." Connection is the key to any organization's success or failure. The intentional, disciplined practice of creating and nurturing connections is the responsibility of leadership. A Gallup Clifton Strength Finders Podcast on April 3, 2023, Connectedness?: Developing Your Leadership Skills? Lead by Jaclyn Robinson ?and Join Jim Collison and Dr. Jaclynn Robinson as they discussed?the Connectedness??theme, its power in a leadership role, how it can help or hinder you as you lead others, and how you can leverage ?as leaders ." _____________

Aiir Consulting, an international leadership consulting company, reported in their recent whitepapers on leadership trends that being a team connector was a top-five leadership trend for 2021. They also report that 76% of responders have felt disconnected from the dual issues of remote work and company reductions in force. The 2023 report and 2024 report cited the need for a leadership practice of intentional connection. "The most effective leaders in 2023 will be those who help their teams re-discover what's inspiring and motivating about the work they do. That may entail reconnecting employees with the values and mission that drew them to the enterprise, making these real and visible." In the 2024 report, Jack Huston writes, "Anxiety-producing distractions abound, and clear thinking is harder even as the importance of measured judgment increases. Thoughtful leaders will be attentive to how these stresses affect their teams and alert to their needs for renewing and focusing their energy". Sadly, the research on connection is disheartening. Recent reports by Gallup show that a majority of workers feel their manager believes their manager doesn't care about their well-being. A study hr. research and the bridge reports only 1 in 5 organizations surveyed noted high engagement, with 60% saying The study of employee engagement can be maddening because of our collective lack of progress. After all, organizations have been focusing on and trying to influence engagement for many years."… Yet, despite its wide usage as a business concept, many organizations struggle to engage their employees. In our research report on employee engagement from 2022, 41% of surveyed organizations reported that levels of employee engagement were lower than the previous year compared to 27% who reported an increase."

The methods or practices of connection will change; however, building connections will be a constant for all leaders. Those leaders and organizations that move forward in this time will practice intentional, authentic connection. Leadership expert Jim Kouzes, a coauthor of the Leadership Challenge, writes, "The way to lead people to the future is to deeply connect with them in the present."

" Connection is the energy between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued."

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This Thursday's leadership insight describes what authentic leadership connection is not and is not. Seven guides to building or nourishing authentic, intentional connections are shared.

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The need for an authentic connection must first consider what is not an authentic connection. practice ??

1. Connection is not temporary. Leadership practice and organization require ongoing attention and monitoring of connection practices. As Simon Sinek noted, this process is part of an ongoing effort, an "Infinite Game."

2. Connection is not transactional. It is not a "badge" of achievement or being friends. Connection is not an award to be earned or withheld. It is an ongoing part of building connections and relationships for the long term.

3. Connection is not a "soft" skill for leaders. All organizations are human endeavors, and connected teams, schools, and organizations that practice authentic connection are successful. Authentic, intentional connection intentionally is neither a soft nor a hard skill. It is a basic human need, and productivity and profits earned by connected organizations are not soft.

4. Connection is not set aside for a certain group or circumstance. Authentic, intentional ?connection values everyone as a part of the team, family, or multinational

5. Connection is not being less rigorous or demanding. The more authentic a leader is, the higher the standards and expectations set that a connected team or organization will hold themselves to.

Authentic intentional Connections are

1.?? Connections are made by authentic leadership committed to making intentional efforts over time, continuously monitoring progress, and connecting to the organization's purpose and followers' well-being.

2.?? ?Connections are made and nourished by intentionally developing the practice of respect, trust, and psychological safety in all relationships over time, even in disagreement and a commitment to the common good.

3.?? Genuine intentional connections are based on a stated practice of adding value to all in the organization.

4.?? Genuine, authentic, intentional connections set the expectation and accountability for self and all in the organization.

5.?? Genuine, authentic, intentional connections model relationship values of mutual empathy, trust, consistency, candor, and accountability in upholding the values and work expectations of the organization

Below is a guide to intentionally building and nourishing authentic connections

. The key to building or enhancing workplace connections is to look at how to intentionally act to build relationships that connect with everyone and the organization. Here are ten strategies within your reach to start.

1.?? Choose a mindset of connection.

A leader's number one superpower is choice. A choice to develop a connection mindset starts with a basic belief in the worth and value of all in the organization. This belief was then coupled with an intentional plan of action to connect with as many people as possible on any day. Using followers ' names in any discussion is a simple yet powerful, respectful practice.

2.?? Be curious about more than work projects in your follower's lives.

Getting to know those you lead and serve creates a connection. Jeff Henderson, in his book FOR, writes that leaders should "Ask how they are doing before you ask what they are doing. This awareness of the factors influencing those you lead and your genuine human response to them builds connection.

3. Listen and ask to learn and connect.

Those you lead want to know they are valued and listened to in this case. The key is to remember that listening to be effective requires a reshuffling from

L I S T E N to ?S I L E N T. A curious silence and observation can demonstrate respect and gain understanding. Respect and understanding build connections. ."Remember, ask = A. Always, S.Seeking, K.Knowledge, and pause to allow for response.

?4. Be as transparent as possible.

It is ok to let people know your feelings. These are scary times, or may not have all the answers. To reinforce, we are in this together. Followers want a leader who is imperfect like them and connected to them.

5. Connect with intention inclusively

Intentionally connecting with everyone provides connection and insight. One friend of mine, a retired superintendent, shared that he walked around a three-story district office daily to connect with everyone. Seeking connections across age, gender, and racial groups will be a rich source and resource for the organization.

6. Celebrate and socialize

Taking the time to order lunch for a department and get together will grow connections. Remembering anniversaries and birthdays or graduations builds key connections. It is also important to remember that attendance at weddings is very good, but attendance at wakes and, if possible, funerals is mandatory. A leader's attendance at these events is always remembered and builds connections. Maya Angelou often said, "People will forget what you said. They will not forget how you made them feel. "Any experienced ?(old) leader will understand and probably has been on both sides of these events.

7. Reflect on and adapt your connection plans as needed?

John Maxwell, during the Maxwell Executive Leadership Podcast #5: 3 Questions Every Follower is Asking About their Leader, noted three questions all followers ask of their Leader.?

1. Can you help me?

2. Do you care about me?

3. Can I trust you?

These three questions create a base of reflection to guide any leader's plan of connection.

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These seven strategies are a solid starting point to build, enhance, or nurture meaningful human connections in one's leadership practice. These strategies are simple. It is not exhaustive; just be creative. They don't require high-priced consultants, training programs, or motivational speakers. The intentional growth of meaningful human connections requires deliberate caring, concern, action, and monitoring. Organizations are human enterprises. They require an authentic, intentional connection. Warren Bennis? said it well: "Good leaders make people feel that they're at the heart of things, not the periphery."

There is a correlation between technological connection and meaningful human connection. They both generate energy. Technological connection requires a hook-up to a power source to operate effectively at the highest level over time. The Leader who acts continuously to build, enhance, and nurture meaningful human connection also provides an energy source for long-term sustained high-performance energy and connection. The Leader's choice to intentionally connect is that power source.

The Leadership Questions for you are.

1. What is your level of level of connection in your organization?

2. Will you use the seven strategies to connect with those you lead and serve?

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