Why is it that, in the age of expensive management consultants and ubiquitous leadership training courses, a whopping 70% of employees continue to self-report as disengaged and unhappy?
Employees in a business or organisation with a high degree of connection are more engaged, more productive in their jobs, and less likely to leave for a competitor. They are also more trusting and cooperative; they are more willing to share information with their colleagues and therefore help them make well-informed decisions.
Science has proven that feeling connected is a human need. Disconnected individuals don't give their best efforts or align their behaviour with the business or organisational goals. Plus, they bring toxic stress home with them.
More importantly: is there anything that can be done about it?
In "Mindful Management: The Neuroscience of Trust and Effective Workplace Leadership", author Dalton Kehoe provides the interpersonal dynamics that drive bottom lines. A unique combination of cutting-edge scientific research, real-world examples, and practical roadmaps, Kehoe shows how managers have historically controlled employees rather than connecting with them, and the destructive effects "control culture" has on the non-conscious, neural needs that motivate people to work productively.
"Most managers have to 'wake up' their rational minds and consciously create the conditions for trust with their employees, because their habits for enacting the role of manager are centred on acts of control rather than connection." states Kehoe. "Since control contradicts connection, the employees protectively pull back their emotional energy (motivation). They disengage."
Your focus on mindfulness in the moment definitely helps you manage your emotions to avoid a hijack in a difficult situation; but, more importantly, it awakens the mind and compels you to "think before you speak."
This alone will dramatically improve outcomes in your everyday communication as a managerial leader.
Can this be learned? Yes, it can. In a state of calm, focused mindfulness you can turn dialogue talk into a set of interconnected habits. To do this:
1. Notice when and how your negative reactions are cued up in a particular context.
2. Consciously, and repeatedly, calm yourself and apply the recommended elements of dialogue talk and in particular, asking appreciative questions and listening actively -to respond to this situation.
3. Reward yourself for your effectiveness, and
4. Repeat this approach until the whole process becomes an automatic routine.
Reference: Dalton Kehoe: “Mindful Management: The Neuroscience of Trust and Effective Workplace Leadership”.
Business Tips
Interpersonal Dynamics @ Work
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- Category: Communication
