Connection increases a leader’s influence among followers, and this influence in turn spurs followers to do more: improve their behaviour, develop their skills and talents, work better and harder, seek and participate in collaborations or teams, and achieve greater results.
In our economic climate, where every aspect of our professional life seems vulnerable and in a state of flux, a strong connection between leaders and employees is especially necessary. This bond enables the organization to rise above its challenges.
The most important concept to understand is that you cannot lead without connecting. If your leadership is all about targets, efficiencies, and execution, you will not attain successful outcomes. Your employees must first feel inspired, engaged, and connected before they give you their best work. Without a connection with you, your staff will still work, but not as well as needed or desired.
Connection reality is a distinguishing factor in your leadership strategy. The good news, like all effective leadership behaviours, is that making and sustaining connections can be learned, because connection is a behaviour-based skill.
All that is necessary is for you to change your thinking about why you want to be a leader! What is it you need to do to make a powerful, positive emotional connection with your team members? How are you going to change? Individual leader behaviour is the single most important predictor of organizational performance. You have control over your own mind and your own thoughts. You have the power to choose meaningful connection with your followers. You have the power to change and take yourself, your team, and your organization to higher levels of performance excellence.
Catherine is the President and CEO of CORPORATE HARMONY, providing virtual solutions for leadership development and organizational culture change. Her leadership and coaching experience as a Project Manager in an ever-changing, fast moving technological organization with unrelenting demands drove her to the realization that a positive mindset and strength-building behaviors are essential for today’s complex and chaotic organizational systems. CORPORATE HARMONY’s virtual platform of programs, coaching and performance measurement, is an innovative online technology of tested proprietary content. The world-class content of CORPORATE HARMONY’s Positive Presence Program develops the skill of ‘Positive Presence’ and the necessary ‘Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies’ for maintaining a positive and energized mindset and increased performance in today’s complex work environment, and leading to a culture of collaboration and connection. Catherine’s vision for Corporate Harmony is to bring the skill of “Positive Presence” to the corporate world as it becomes more complex, ambiguous and chaotic. Catherine is uniquely positioned to impact organizations’ productivity and long term success, with her powerful vision of eliminating bad stress from every workplace around the globe, bringing purpose into the people equation to promote healthy, productive and meaningful work cultures and turn the tide on the neglect of mental health on a global scale. Catherine is author of the book: “CORPORATE HARMONY – The Performance Link for Today’s Modern Organization” Catherine can be reached at: Catherine.Osborne@corporateharmony.ca or go to ‘contact us’ on our website www.corporateharmony.ca. Catherine is available for consultation, and can be reached by 519-695-3407.