Executives, let's change the definition of "connection" at work.

This month, I was a part of an open discussion on Quitting smoking at the annual World Economic Forum conference in Davos. Workforce dynamics are rapidly changing, and it strikes me that leaders engage in a lot relevant issues, such as the pros and cons of remote work along with the opportunities and risks presented with AI and the necessity of developing better and more sustainable companies.

One question, however, deserves more attention In the event that the people of today's generation are growing technologically and post-pandemic behaviours as well as expectations changing...don't our leaders have to adapt also?

There is an entire Generation of Digital Natives who is entering the workforce. They have grown up making and sharing videos instead of communicating or making calls when they imagine TikTok or YouTube their primary source of information. When it comes to their lives at home they're connected as well as extremely active.

But in their workplaces however it's a different story. There are dramatic declines in participation and satisfaction among the remote Gen Z and younger millennials. Only four out of ten younger workers who work remotely or hybrid know what's required of them when they work. Moreover, greater than half Gen Z employees are ambivalent or don't feel engaged at job. When we think of employee engagement as the key indicator of efficiency and effectiveness of the workforce, it has significant consequences for all businesses and for any company's profits.

What is causing this disconnect? In the workplace, as well as in our lives it is typical for us to wish to be part of a bigger image that is bigger than what we actually can truly be. We have an innate need to belong, to feel an identity that's transparent, unfiltered and genuine. However, the more of our workforce is digitally dispersed and AI-connected and in ad-hoc ways, the more difficult it is to feel a sense of connection every single day. In particular, if we haven't restructured how we communicate with the future generation. There is still a tendency for us to request employees to read through a mountain of paperwork or compose lengthy emails or participate in idle gatherings. Employees learn about layoffs and corporate priorities via communications that are which are so automated and scripted that could have been produced through ChatGPT. What we as managers can get is through survey-type surveys that are based on cookie-cutter principles and live events which have very low turn-in percentages and sometimes snarky chats or Q&A.

Traditional management models are ineffective. We must change the way our leaders present themselves and interact to our staff. Just as we are focused to reskilling our workforce to keep up with the changing technological, demographic and population trends as well, we need to re-train ourselves as leaders in order to build trust and build connections at the level of.

I've tried a lot of these over the last several years . These are the things I've learned and put into practice which I think will enable us to be more present and be more effective in our leadership:

     1. Realize who you are, and be yourself.

At the beginning of the outbreak, I participated in an international town hall meeting from my parents' home situated within Flint, Michigan -- sleep deprived, wearing my pajamas made of velour, and my son, whom I consider a toddler and my grandma shuffling between the backdrop.

This could have been one of the most successful communications ever.

Why? because it's not scripted, vulnerable, and chaotic. It's easy to fall into "us against us against us against them" situations when working at a company, particularly in times of stress and challenges. It's tempting to view "leadership" as a nameless and unrecognizable machine. Knowing that you're video-first in your communication can be a powerful strategy to fight this. It forces you to remove the veil and protect yourself from editing and writing comms. One of the best ways to overcome this issue is to be who yourself.

In the past, there have been instances of leadership becoming vulnerable and backfiring...but I would guess that, in most cases the problem was that the leader was doing over the limit. It is important to be able to allow that uncooked version of yourself to fail before the team. The human nature is flawed. Everyone wants to have leaders that are courageous. This only inspires us to follow their example even more.

     2. Beginning by defining the "why . "

Much like many managers have had to make difficult choices during the past year. The changes range from executive layoffs to restructuring and closing down projects to improve efficiency. My job is to make that difficult call, not-popular decisions and implement changes quickly across our organization.

In the majority of cases, I see workers seeking greater transparency when making these decision-making processes. It's not only about the "what" however, but it's the "why". It is important to understand the bigger context of competition, which is why they are balanced and weighted, in addition to the particulars of the people involved as well as the time of their involvement.

The old communication playbook will advise that when there is an urgent communication problem that requires your attention to be a little stressed, you should begin with asking "what" and get right to the core and the necessary steps. But, I've been much better at getting people to make a decision when I view my employees as the key participants who must be aware of the situation.

Therefore, starting with "why" is a first guidelines for all communications levels . There will be always restrictions to full transparency (legal or PR-related, customer risk) however, I've observed that in the vast majority of situations, the obstacles are just that. Perceived. There are people who might not agree with your decisions, and I could argue that they don't have the skills you're required to complete. But, they'll be able to be able to accept your decision and appreciate it by examining your reasons for your decisions.

     3. Make sure you spend money on meetings in person or even in-person gatherings Make it more personal.

It's true that it's ironic to hear the chief executive of a video company stating that. One of the biggest lessons over the last few months was that we had put off the process for too long, and we weren't aware enough of bringing our teams together on an every day regularly.

In January, a week after layoffs, the business organized a corporate kickoff party in NYC. This event was attended by employees from over a dozen countries. We had employees based in Ukraine that took trains along with cars and planes to get to us. The event was not a traditional one, with lots of confetti. We chose to have a relaxed atmosphere and a budget-friendly. This was among the most stimulating and essential investing decisions that I've made into.

This is made even more effective for leaders who travel to meet your team members wherever they're. Our team is completely distributed. executive team spread across eight cities that start from Seattle starting from Seattle up to Switzerland. Many were hired during the past year, and were relatively fresh and just beginning to form an integrated team. To accelerate the process of forming a cohesive team We began hosting offsites in the houses of each of the city leaders' homes. We spent time with our CFO's mom in her fire place in Vermont. Our Head of Sales was wearing his apron and made us frittatas for breakfast. Working sessions took place at our Head of Product's table.

The pandemic gave us the ability to see into each our homes and lives. If we are able to make use of this information and integrate it into our lives day-to-day tasks and activities it gives us the opportunity to create stronger, more connected and more efficient teams.

     4. It is possible to go between "lean back" to "lean forward" encounters.

One of the key abilities in communications is the capability to design "lean forward" experience, not "lean back" broadcasts. We humans have focus spans diminishing (now lower than the eight-second mark which is less than the size of the goldfish!). However, we communicate via one-to-many emails, be it via an email that you open or a highly produced town hall you sit back and take in.

As we look at this tax on engagement appearing in our records, and the amount of time to end a session of watching a film has been decreasing over the past few years. If we do not change the way we approach this, then a lack of engagement is going to seriously hamper our ability to ensure that our teams are aligned and productive.

It is crucial to alter our thinking and be open to trying different things. The new generation working in the workforce that has a head start on us with their ability to create and record authentic and rich information. They're ahead because they're no longer bound by the restrictions our generation faced throughout the decades of traditional communication modes at work.

In reality, employees do not leave their jobs, they simply leave their bosses. The CEOs are, in reality, the best manager, and according to the findings of the survey of 113,000 managers the most crucial element of effective leader is trust. Leaders need to learn how to show up with more genuine, engaging, and trustworthy methods. I'm betting on the executives who are willing to embrace the changing world of work to be more successful in overseeing the next generation of workers. They'll be better informed and be able to involve teams across the globe as well as align employees in order to increase productivity and establish long-lasting relationships that result in exceptional outcomes. They'll cease communicating and instead, communicate more efficiently.

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