So many key indicators point to workplace culture as being broken today. With my life purpose of helping others see and realize their full potential, this is an epidemic that is dear to me because we need thriving teams as one of the building blocks for you and I to reach our full potential.
In this blog series, we are visiting the loneliness and lack of meaning epidemic in workplace culture. Gallup has called it the Great Detachment. Recent surveys consistently reveal the unrest in many workplace cultures. People are not finding fulfillment or real meaning in their work. Trust is at an all-time low. Burnout, disengagement, stress, lack of belonging, and lack of trust impact each of us differently. Whether it’s you personally, a team member, a friend or a family member, you are being impacted by this upside-down culture.
Magnetic energy is the cure to this workplace dilemma, and the power to transform this culture is in our hands. Yes, you and me. There are three secrets to Magnetic Energy in workplace culture, and it takes all three to transform the workplace from lonely, meaningless jobs to thriving teams.
Dare to Believe and Dare to Trust First are the first two secrets. Secret 3 is Dare to Connect and demonstrate we care. You can’t have trust without connection, and we must be vulnerable to connect. In April 2011, when I received feedback from 38 leaders that “we don’t trust Joey,” as painful as it was, it was crystal clear that I had not been open. I had not created the connections which led to trust and a strong sense of belonging.
The game changer was when I decided to meet one-on-one with each of the 38 leaders to understand them and provide them with the opportunity to know me. The life lesson people don’t care until they know you care was branded on my forehead. It’s these down moments, the failures, that really grow us in life. It’s a hard time, but the wisdom we gain is worth it.
The reason connections are so important in workplace culture is that people always wonder if they are good enough. I know I have had that fear many times in my career. It’s common if we are open enough to admit it. Connections help us to step through those fears. Gratitude is another connector that unites us with others, creates energy and alignment, and helps eliminate the fear of being good enough.
When I first graduated from Ole Miss and moved to Houston, TX, to work for one of the largest accounting firms in the world with 1200 professionals in one office in downtown Houston, I certainly wondered if I was good enough. A wise division leader took me to lunch in the first year to thank me for the time and work I helped with on a special project. That gratitude was a game-changer for me. It helped me step through the “good enough?” fear.
It’s funny, but the more people feel valued, the more valuable they become. Appreciation, Respect, and Recognition are all key to authentic connections.
Our leadership insights for Daring to Connect are to be open (vulnerable) so people can know us, express gratitude abundantly, and invest time in connecting with others.
Workplace culture is transformed one conversation at a time. My challenge to you is what conversation will you have to create magnetic energy on your team? What gratitude will you express to someone on your team to help alleviate fears and increase connection?
The power to transform lonely jobs into thriving teams rests in our hands. #beIntentional #beBetter
Tom Hood says “Joey Havens shows the way to build a magnetic firm that attracts, retains, and develops people in a never-ending cause to constantly be better. We need this book and message more than ever.”
Grab your copy of Leading with Significance to find more magnetic insights to help you on your unique journey.
For more information on my presentations or to access my beBetter blog library go to joeyhavens.com.
