Ways You Can Lead With Connection
Leading with connection is one of the most important skills you can have as a leader. Leadership isn’t about power; it’s about connection, guidance, and responsibility to your team.
When you lead with connection you will find that the results you need from your team come easier - they become more motivated to follow your direction. The result is more collaboration, higher morale, and improved revenue.
Here are 5 tips you can use to lead with connection, starting now.
Be Vulnerable
Vulnerability is by far the most important way to lead with connection. It’s so important, in fact, that if you can’t or won’t be vulnerable, the rest of this list will make very little difference. Getting vulnerable with your team isn’t about sharing all the nitty-gritty details of your personal life.
Instead, share a few key personal stories and struggles, especially as they relate to each situation you encounter. By opening up to others, you encourage them to return that vulnerability. This creates a rich environment for connection. An environment where no one is afraid to share what they’re feeling, people ask questions and give their honest opinion.
Ask a Question - and Wait for the Answer
Be honest with yourself. When you ask a question, how patiently do you wait for a response? Especially when the question is deeper, a level two or three question, perhaps. With these deeper questions, it’s so easy to want to fill any pauses or gaps in response with our own thoughts.
Give the other person time to answer. Maybe they’re hesitant to share with you, or maybe they just need a minute or two to gather their thoughts. Instead of interrupting that silence, take a few deep breaths and wait through it.
Build in Time for Connection
Set aside regular time with your team where the only purpose is to connect with them – and give them space to connect with each other. It doesn’t matter exactly what this time looks like, and it doesn’t need to be structured. Just focus on getting your people in the room to connect with each other.
Some examples of connection time are monthly team lunches outside the office, daily coffee breaks, downtime before or after a meeting, or even bi-weekly team time away from your desks.
Make Your Space Conducive
This one could be a bit more difficult in our busy corporate environments, but consider whether your office layout has natural places for a few people to chat. This includes your office. Is there space in your office where you can speak with your team, or they can speak to each other, without your desk in between you? Open spaces lead to more conducive and open conversations.
Share the “Why”
As a leader, you’re faced with making decisions all the time. Sometimes, these decisions might not land well with the entire team, but you’ve made that decision for a reason, right?
Share the “why” behind your decisions. Don’t worry about it being too vulnerable or that it will invite questions and criticism. People are more likely to follow through and support your decisions when they understand why you’ve made them.
Sharing the “why” helps your team feel trusted by you.
Please Share
Following these steps will help you form better connections with your team and other important people in your life. When you are ready to take the next step to improve your leadership, I would be honored to support you through executive coaching, facilitating a retreat or lunch. Book a call with me to get started.
Stay tuned for next month’s newsletter, where I’ll continue writing about these leadership tips. And, if you’ve found this newsletter helpful, please share it with other leaders in your network.
