connecting

Leadership Skills During COVID-19: How to Keep Employees Connected

The one thing that is incredibly important is the power of human connection. Leadership right now is particularly important. You know people are working from home, people are feeling insecure, many of us have become caretakers, and so there’s a lot of stress, there’s a lot of pressure, which is why communication is so critical right now. In the absence of communication, people allow their own stories to form, or they start to form their own version of reality.

It’s important to be transparent. It’s important to be open. It’s also important to share what you know now, knowing that it may change.

Part of communication is also listening. That Friday afternoon kind of show-and-tell session, making sure that we continue to have this human connection, one to one, to small groups.

One to many is really critical: Employees, customers partners gravitate towards people who show up authentically and are true to themselves through all of this.

Marie Rosecrans, SVP and SMB Marketing expert at Salesforce, reveals there’s no option to opt out of communication and human connection in order to be an effective leader during COVID-19.

Source : Youtube

The Value of Stories

I love stories. When I speak to large audiences, such as in my TEDx talk or at a global conference, I usually start with a story. Why? Because stories connect us. Revealing a bit about who we really are and relating it to those listening (or reading) can create an instant connection.

There are many kinds of stories that fit in categories too numerous to list.

Some people like stories about puzzles. Stories that you have to fit together and figure out, guessing the whole way as to who did it or how it will end.

Other people like love stories. Maybe because they are looking for love, want to validate the love they already have or simply live in love for a while.

Stories about other worlds can be equally engaging. Worlds of wizards, other planets, civilizations…all can be exciting, thought provoking and fun.

Sometimes I read stories written long ago. One of my favorite authors is C.S. Lewis. I just read ‘The Great Divorce,” which dealt with purgatory, Heaven and living a full life (or why we sometimes don’t).

Because the theme of my work is encouraging people and companies to step outside the outer limits of their comfort zone in order to find happiness, meaning and success (which is quantifiable), I tend to love stories about underdogs, people that beat the odds and those that overcome challenges to come out happier on the other end. They always end up giving back to society in some way and this makes me feel warm inside.

Stories like David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell, make us love ‘aha’ moments. New ways of looking at familiar situations and considering possibilities.

When I write, I like to look for the tidbits of connection in every story. The things that inspire us to move forward in our lives, and to live a life of happiness.

I write books and articles for many publications, and was looking through the stories I have written for Thrive Global, Arianna Huffington’s post Huff Post platform. It’s all about what I focus on and I am happy to be a contributor. See if any resonate with you.

Here’s to your happiness today and every day!

“There’s always room for a story that can transport people to another place.” –J.K. Rowling