When people feel highly connected to each other, their leaders and their work, research shows their companies gain an 8% revenue boost each year and that productivity rises by as much as 25%.
Considering how important connection is to retention and engagement, leaders who develop a culture that fosters it experience standout results.
However, according to Accenture’s “Organizational Culture: From Always Connected to Omni-Connected” study:
- Only one in six people feels highly connected to their organization and the people they work for and with.
- Only one in five people feels comfortable sharing work-related problems or raising conflicts with colleagues.
- Only one in four report that leaders are responsive to their needs, communicate regularly, and treat all team members equally.
In other words, a large fraction of your team may not feel like they are truly connecting at work on a human level – and that could be affecting your revenue and productivity.
The way to bolster your “connection” level with your team is by communicating in a proactive way, where each team member experiences their importance, contribution, and impact.
Here are three ways to do it:
- PRACTICE LISTENING TO UNDERSTAND:
When employees say they want their voices to be heard, they are really saying they want leaders who are actively listening. They want leaders with whom they can connect and have two-way conversations for possibility and solution. Leaders who are excellent active listeners create trustworthy relationships that are transparent and breed loyalty.
I’ll bet you know what it’s like talking with someone who is more focused on what they’re going to say next than on what you are saying. Becoming an active listener means focusing on understanding what the other person is saying.
Here’s one tip to try:
After a colleague is done talking, demonstrate that you heard them by repeating back their exact words before you respond. Often this creates a memorable in-the moment connection.
- GET INPUT BEFORE GIVING FEEDBACK:
44% of managers agreed that delivering corrective feedback is stressful, while 21% admitted to avoiding the act altogether. (Survey of 7,631 shared on Harvard Business Review)
But shying away from sharing corrective feedback doesn’t benefit anyone, including the business. Gallup research shows employees actually prefer to receive criticism over no feedback at all, because then they know how to improve. And skipping it means missing another key opportunity to connect.
Having ongoing, two-way conversations about a program can create connection and avoid the “difficult” feedback conversations most of us prefer not to have.
When you sense there could be an issue arising, ask for input and then agree on a move-forward plan before the situation requires corrective feedback.
Here’s one tip to try:
Use the past-present-future method of asking questions to get employee input. Hear team members out on their theories—you might even be surprised by their insights.
- How do you think things are going right now with [name the topic of discussion]? What’s going well and what needs to be improved?
- Sounds like things are __________. I’m concerned about ___________. Have you ever had a situation like this in the past? How did you deal with it?
- Do you have ideas for what’s next? Let’s establish a move-forward program.
3. NOTICE & ACKNOWLEDGE STRENGTHS:
Because our brains are inherently wired to look for weaknesses rather than strengths, many leaders naturally focus on fixing problems. Research has shown that we spend as much as 80% of our time focusing on weaknesses and only 20% looking at strengths. So what can we do to change the conversation?
To be able to focus on strengths, you have to notice them in the first place and then acknowledge them. Sometimes people think everyone is as strategic or as analytical as they are. Connection results when team members are valued for their strengths – and when they recognize those strengths allows them to make a unique contribution.
Here’s one tip to try:
Acknowledge strengths superpowers by saying, “I see you doing X, and it really supported us in Y.” (Give detail.) Ask, “Do you think that’s a superpower of yours?” (Listen.) Then ask, “How could we tap your unique strength more?”
