Michael Lee Stallard's Blog, page 6

Conversation with Walt Rakowich on Connection Culture

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to participate in a LinkedIn Live conversation with Walt Rakowich, former CEO of S&P 500 firm Prologis and author of the book Transfluence.

We talked about the role of relationships in the long-term success of individuals and organizations, strategies for managing stress, real-world stories of connection in action from Costco and Starbucks, our experiences with mentors, how to grow in influence even when you aren’t in a position of formal authority, and much more. It was a great discussion on topics that are top of mind for many of today’s current and emerging leaders.

If you missed it, you can watch the entire conversation again on-demand.

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Hope Is What People Need from Leaders Today

Wouldn’t it be nice if a new year truly ushered in a fresh start? The optimism we may have ordinarily had in past years as we turned the calendar to January and considered all of the new possibilities that lay ahead of us is a little harder to muster up this time. The Covid-19 pandemic, now in year three, and other stressors have taken a toll. Many people are exhausted and struggling. We’re seeing it in higher levels of frustration and uncivil behavior being directed at others as the Omicron variant sweeps across the globe and further disrupts plans. And while people may be able to put on a happy face at work, underneath the surface their emotional health is probably not great, according to recent research.

If you are a leader, by the time you read this, you will have already communicated the priorities for 2022 to the people you are responsible for leading. In the current environment, you’ll need to do more than present the goals and expect execution. To encourage people that together they can get through this coming year, you will need to communicate realistic optimism and model determination and perseverance. One of the most important things you can do is to give people hope.

The Role of Hope

Are hope and optimism the same thing? Often we use these words interchangeably when talking about our desire that something will be better in the future. Arthur C. Brooks differentiated the terms this way in an article in The Atlantic: “Optimism is the belief that things will turn out all right; hope makes no such assumption but is a conviction that one can act to make things better in some way.” As to the impact of hope, Brooks noted: “In a report in The Journal of Positive Psychology in 2013, researchers defining hope as ‘having the will and finding the way’ found that high-hope employees are 28 percent more likely to be successful at work and 44 percent more likely to enjoy good health and well-being.”

In the spring of 2020, when leaders at all levels and in all sectors were communicating about the emerging pandemic and those messages varied widely in content and delivery, Tom Friedman interviewed Dov Seidman for an article on the critical role of leadership. Seidman, founder and chairman of an ethics and compliance company and an organization promoting values-based leadership, honed in on what the best leaders have in common: trust, hope and humility. “Great leaders trust people with the truth. And they make hard decisions guided by values and principles, not just politics, popularity or short-term profits,” Seidman explained. “… The true antidote to fear is hope, not optimism. Hope comes from seeing your leader lead in a way that brings out the best in people by inspiring collaboration, common purpose and future possibilities. It takes hope to overcome great fear and meet great challenges. People do, of course, appreciate good news and optimism from their leaders, but only if it’s grounded in reality, facts and data.”

Communicating in Times of Uncertainty

As you lead during a time of crisis, great change or prolonged uncertainty, consider whether your words and actions are encouraging collaboration and common purpose — the sense of connection that inspires hope as Seidman explains. Are you voicing optimism and providing hope as you show the way forward?

One of the profiles in the second edition of Connection Culture features several leaders who employed the Connection Culture elements of Vision, Value and Voice in their communications in the early months of the pandemic. Here are tips from that profile for you to consider as you lead or influence others:

Engage, don’t retreat or go silent. With a lack of timely and relevant information, some people will assume the worst or make wrong assumptions.Believe that people can handle the truth. Share what you are able to and let people know you will share updates as more information becomes known.Keep vision in front of people. On a regular basis, remind them that “this is who we are and this is why we are taking this action.” Relate each action to the big picture. Make it clear what their role is and why it’s valuable.Be open about your own feelings (at an appropriate level, of course). Doing so and being vulnerable actually draws people in and helps them feel like you’re all in this together.Recognize people for the good they are doing, their perseverance and their positive attitude.Share the spotlight with your collaborators and be sure they are getting the credit they are due.Have your communications be a dialogue whenever possible. Ask people how they are doing and really listen to what they say.Balance the hard news with hope. Share any silver linings of the challenge that you and others are spotting as well as what you believe it will be like on the other side.Hope to Move Forward

Do you have hope? Can you identify any silver linings as you reflect on what you’ve observed or experienced during the past two years? Are you optimistic about the future?

For us, we believe connection has become more of a felt need in our society, especially after the lockdowns and the rapid move to remote work that happened in 2020. We believe that despite, or perhaps because of, the very real pain and loss they’ve endured, people have developed a greater appreciation for the people in their lives and for simple pleasures. We think this change is going to put all of us in a better place to truly enjoy life in the years ahead.

In terms of the pandemic, there is a realistic basis to be optimistic. Recent reports from South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first detected in late November, show the situation with that variant is quickly improving. Although more transmissible, Omicron is proving to be less dangerous and fewer people have had to go to the hospital because of it. That is very good news, especially as we see the number of positive cases of Covid-19 skyrocketing in the U.S. in the first weeks of 2022.

We now have proven vaccines and therapies that were not available a year ago. They’ve been shown to be effective in that they protect people from severe illness that leads to hospitalization and even death. Many healthcare professionals believe Covid will eventually be like the flu — it will not go away but it will be manageable, thanks to vaccination and therapeutics.

Today, people need to know that you, their leader, understand their challenges. Reach out to individuals and ask how they’re feeling. Listen closely. Thank them for the work they are doing under these changing circumstances. Ask what you can do to help them. Use these interactions as opportunities to convey hope and optimism for brighter days. It will make what could be a rocky path more manageable to navigate and traverse together.

This article was co-authored by Katharine P. Stallard.

Photo by Andriyko Podilnyk on Unsplash

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Connection Culture Recommended as a Best Book for Business Leaders

If anyone has a pulse on the business book landscape, it’s Wally Bock. The author of the Three Star Leadership blog and a professional writing coach, Wally reads and reviews many books each year. His wisdom and practical advice have made his articles some of our readers’ favorites on the Connection Culture Group blog.

I was honored that Wally chose to include the second edition of my book Connection Culture: The Competitive Advantage of Shared Identity, Empathy and Understanding at Work on his list of the top 5 business books he read in 2021.

Check out Wally’s full review and see his other recommendations.

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Interview with New York City’s WCBS Radio: Connection Provides Protection from Burnout and Suicide

The holidays are a particularly difficult time for those who are already struggling with loneliness, depression, and feelings of hopelessness. This can lead to burnout or even suicidal thoughts.

Fortunately, there is hope. As I shared in a recent conversation with Pat Farnack of New York City’s WCBS Radio, seeking counsel from a good therapist can help you to see a way forward. Talking about your struggles engages the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain involved in rational decision making, and calms the amygdala, which processes threats. The net effect is that you feel better and also are able to make rational decisions.

For all of us, take the time to reach out to those who are isolated during the holidays. Most leaders care about people, but they don’t always show it. Check in on your direct reports to see how they are doing. Look for opportunities to include those who are lonely.

Finally, if you are struggling today, please seek help. You can reach the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273- TALK (8255).

Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash

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When Grit Isn’t Enough: Protection from Burnout and Suicide

Mike Ivy is not someone you would expect to contemplate taking his own life.

His experience and accomplishments communicate grit and resilience. A trauma, critical care and acute care surgeon by training, Dr. Ivy grew up in the U.S. Navy. His father was a submarine sailor; Mike joined the Navy to pay for medical school and served nine years active duty. Following the Navy, he completed a fellowship at Yale in surgical critical care then held a series of increasingly senior leadership positions at hospitals in Connecticut. Presently, Dr. Ivy is Deputy Chief Medical Officer for the Yale New Haven Health System, which comprises more than 26,000 employees, including 6,685 medical staff.

We first met Dr. Ivy in June 2019 when he was interim CEO of Bridgeport Hospital. After hearing us speak at Yale New Haven Health System’s Annual Directors Meeting, he brought us in that fall to lead a workshop on cultivating a culture of connection. Katie and I were inspired by the respect the Bridgeport Hospital leadership team had for Dr. Ivy and the connection they felt to him, and by his desire to enhance connection in the work environment so that each person could thrive and do his or her best work. Currently we’re working with Dr. Ivy and his colleagues on connection culture leadership training for a group of physician leaders and nurse leaders at Yale New Haven Hospital.

Dr. Ivy is an outstanding leader. He’s also an example to all of us that getting help when stress or adversity is taking a toll on your outlook on life is not a sign of weakness but rather a sign of wisdom, courage and strength.

In this podcast interview with Becker’s Hospital Review, Dr. Ivy recounts his experience. It happened during a period earlier in his career when his leadership responsibilities increased while fewer colleagues were available to help carry the load. He felt the ongoing stress of being stretched thin and not wanting to let others down. He began to burn out and so did his colleagues. Although he prided himself on being able to solve problems, he couldn’t see a way to address the people shortage given financial constraints facing the hospital. In addition, Dr. Ivy felt a sense of guilt from being away from home so much and missing important family events. Gone was a joy he previously experienced in life. Eventually, he lost hope that things were going to get better. He began to experience suicidal thoughts and developed a plan about how to do that.

At this critical juncture, Dr. Ivy recalled hearing in medical school that when someone begins to develop a plan to commit suicide, it’s time to get professional help. He reached out for help. “I started seeing a therapist,” he explained in the interview. “Therapy works. It worked for me. It helped me a lot… tremendously. It takes some time. I think you have to recognize that you are worth the time every week—whether it’s a few hours a week or an hour a week. If you stick with it and are open during the discussions, you can get better. And I did. I came out of it and have gone on and had a good career.”

Dr. Ivy’s experience is certainly relevant to people who work in healthcare today. The ongoing stress they experience during the pandemic makes them more vulnerable to emotional health issues. According to one recent research study, 51% of healthcare workers said their mental health has deteriorated during the pandemic and another 42% said their day-to-day lives have suffered during the pandemic. Because 1 in 5 individuals working in healthcare have quit their jobs during the pandemic, those who’ve remained are carrying a heavier workload. Dr. Ivy shares his story and encourages those in healthcare who are struggling with emotional health issues to seek therapy because he knows firsthand that it works.

Connectedness to reduce burnout and suicide

The last time I (Michael) wrote about the role that increasing relational connection can play in addressing burnout and suicide was in early 2020. In “Boost Connectedness to Reverse the Rise of Suicides in America,” I described the impact that having a lack of sufficient connection can have on us and shared how the Centers for Disease Control adopted “connectedness” as a strategic direction in its efforts to reduce suicides in America.

I included a personal story about a friend of mine who committed suicide and how the final time I had seen him, he had smiled and waved at me from across a crowded room. If there was something wrong, he would have shared it with me, or so I thought. Had I missed something?

I shared insights from Dr. Ted George, a neuroscientist and practicing psychiatrist. Suicidal individuals tend to feel lonely or isolated, and overwhelmed with emotions. On the outside, though, they may look like nothing is wrong, so people around them may be unaware of the emotional turmoil they are experiencing. Suicidal patients who managed to find a way to dig their way out of despair initially felt that talking was a waste of time. Yet they came to realize that talk therapy helped them “find new roads they never knew were there” and provided a “switch to turn on a light at the end of a dark tunnel,” replacing hopelessness with a vision for how to live.

A critical time for connection

According to research, physicians, lawyers, engineers and scientists tend to be the loneliest professions, and that makes them especially vulnerable to emotional health issues. But they are not the only ones. Loneliness is a subjective feeling; you can be surrounded by family, friends and colleagues and still feel profoundly lonely. Loneliness is a stressor because our brain perceives the lack of social support as a threat. And when our body shifts into a state in which it is on guard to react to a threat and stays on alert indefinitely, then our physical health suffers too.

Many people today are struggling. This is to be expected, given we are in the midst of a global pandemic that has dramatically altered our everyday lives, boosting stress, loneliness and social isolation. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic appears to be with us for the foreseeable future as the coronavirus continues to mutate into more transmissible and potentially harmful variants. As of Dec. 7, 2021, the number of deaths attributed to Covid-19 in the U.S. alone has topped 788,300 and more than 5,261,800 individuals have died worldwide.

Grief, trauma and considerable change have touched all of us in some respect at a time when our ability to connect with others in the ways we were used to has been curtailed. Enduring the pandemic has highlighted or reinforced how much we need connection and supportive relationships, especially during times when grit isn’t enough. None of us can get through life’s inevitable sustained times of adversity alone. And we shouldn’t want to.

This is a critical time to stay connected to others, for the sake of our own health, and so that we can effectively reach out to support others. Connection and resilience practices we’ve written about in the past, including sharing our weekly highs and lows, never worrying alone, serving others, staying physically active, engaging in prayer/meditation, and regularly taking time to think about what we’re grateful for, help us be our best selves so that we can thrive. These practices also help strengthen our emotional health so we can be a positive force in the lives of our families, friends, colleagues and community.

Please, if you are considering suicide or someone you know is, don’t stay silent. Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or reach out to your physician or an emotional health professional.

If your organization is seeing signs that people are struggling, let’s talk. In recent years, we have been contacted by several organizations in healthcare, education and the U.S. armed services that were specifically concerned about suicides in their ranks. We have helped train their leaders on how to cultivate relational cultures of connection that help people become smarter, happier, more productive, and more resilient to cope with stress. You can reach us at mike@connectionculture.com or 203-422-6511.

This article was co-authored by Katharine P. Stallard.

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Conversation with Pat Farnack on Why “Brutal” Honesty Isn’t Ideal in the Workplace

Pat Farnack, longtime radio host on WCBS Newsradio 880 in New York City, recently interviewed me about the trend toward “brutal honesty” in the workplace and its unintended consequences. 

While honesty is a good thing, brutal honesty often becomes an excuse for those with power to verbally abuse others. It creates a culture of control and fear rather than a culture of connection. Instead of brutal honesty, encourage honesty combined with respect. This approach increases the likelihood of critical information making its way up the chain to decision makers.

Listen to the full interview for more on this topic, what to do if you find yourself in a brutal workplace, and thoughts on what’s driving the Great Resignation.

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TD Magazine Shines Spotlight on Emotional Compensation in October Issue

I’ve shared my thoughts about the importance of emotional compensation several times on the blog this year. It’s one of the strategies firms can use to create an environment where employees truly want to be – an essential asset during the “Great Resignation.”

TD Magazine highlighted my thoughts in the new October issue. If you want to dive deeper, you can check out my full article on the topic.

What strategies are you using to boost emotional compensation?

Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash

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Interview with Kathy Caprino Published in Forbes

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Forbes senior contributor and career coach Kathy Caprino about a topic that’s on a lot of employers’ minds these days: how to prevent your firm from being negatively impacted by the “Great Resignation.” 

We talked about what’s driving employees to quit, the types of work cultures that are most engaging, and how to create the type of work environment that people don’t want to leave. You can read the full article here.

Looking for more information on creating an engaging workplace culture? Check out these other articles on my blog:

Hope Employees Will Return to the Office? Start Here. To Cope With Labor Shortage, Raise Emotional Compensation

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Terryberry Webinar on Employee Retention: September 21

On September 21, I’ll be joining the team at Terryberry for a timely webinar discussion on employee retention. 

We’ll be talking about factors that are contributing the current labor shortage and strategies for addressing it in your own organization. You’ll also hear how organizations like Costco and the U.S. Navy increase employee retention through elements in their cultures that boost positive emotions and emotional compensation.

The event is free but registration is limited.

Topic: Increase Employee Retention Through Emotional CompensationDate: Tuesday, September 21Time: 1:00-2:00 p.m. EDT

Learn more and register.

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Join Me at Virtual LeaderCon

I am excited to announce that I am speaking at The Kevin Eikenberry Group’s virtual event, Virtual LeaderCon. This is a free online event that brings together me and 30 of the world’s top leadership experts talking about the most pressing and emerging leadership and learning topics. 

We are all facing new challenges in the rapidly changing workplace and in this free, virtual event we will be providing real and actionable solutions that address these challenges.

I will be speaking on September 24th about how to reignite your team’s passion, creativity and productivity through connection. It’s going to be a great session and I hope that you will reserve your seat and join me.

Sign up here.

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