Summary
People have a basic need to be connected and belong. There is much leaders can do to increase collaboration and support.
Transcript
Welcome to episode 158 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we bring research to life in your leadership.
This is the fifth instalment in our focus on leadership practices. This time around we are exploring Connecting. People want to belong - it’s a basic human need. And when people work together effectively, the whole is always more than the sum of its parts. The Connecting leadership practice is focused on building teamwork locally, and also connections across the organisation. This leadership practice strengthens the organisation by encouraging greater collaboration.
It all starts by connecting people with others who can provide support. As the leader you don’t need to be the only source of support and encouragement. We can broaden the support network that is available, providing a richer sense of belonging for the individual. Helping people to build connections across the organisation strengthens the organisation. We naturally work in silos - Connecting is like the conduit that allows people to work across these silos. This often leads to more creative ideas and better outcomes.
Connecting doesn’t leave teamwork to chance, instead the leader invests time, effort and resources into developing teamwork. The leader also provides direct support and encouragement to those around them. They demonstrate practical care for people.
Cooperation and collaboration help in most situations. Connecting as a leadership practice should therefore be common and frequently used. But some tasks are independent and don’t require collaboration. Therefore it’s important to not force connections and collaboration for activities where they aren’t needed.
Over the next few weeks we will explore the final two effective leadership practices. It’s a great time to complete our brand new Leadership Practices Assessment. It’s completely free, and you will find a link to it in the show notes. Have a great week.
Access the Leadership Practices Assessment - https://leadership.today/lpa