Profiles in Connection

As people, we’re curious. How do others go about sharing their vision, demonstrating value, and increasing knowledge flow as they give people a voice? Knowing their stories might shed some light on our situation, affirm what we’re doing right, or give us new ideas of what to try. Stories are powerful. Here is another collection of inspiring leaders who are results driven and relationship minded.

One

U2 began as a rock band that people booed and laughed at. That was then. Now, after receiving its 22nd Grammy Award, U2 has more Grammys than any band in history. It is the only band to win Album of the Year twice (1987, 2005). Its album The Joshua Tree was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014, a recognition bestowed to honor “recordings at least 25 years old that exhibit qualitative or historical significance” (Grammy 2013). U2 surpassed the Rolling Stones’ record for the highest revenue-grossing concert tour ever and held that distinction from 2011 through August 2019. Critics rave over the band’s music, and fans worldwide can’t seem to get enough of their songs and concert appearances. All the signs indicate that U2 will be going strong for the foreseeable future. So how did this group rise to such lofty heights, and what can we learn from its success?

The way U2 functions is just as extraordinary as its music. The band’s four members—lyricist and lead singer Bono, lead guitar player “the Edge,” bass guitar player Adam Clayton, and drummer Larry Mullen Jr.—have known one another since they were teenagers in Dublin, Ireland, in the 1970s. Bono has described the band as more of an organism than an organization, and several of its attributes contribute to this unique culture. Members value continuous improvement to achieve their own potential, always maintaining the view that they can become even better.

U2’s members share a vision of their mission and values. You might expect a band’s mission to be achieving commercial success as measured by number 1 hits and concert attendance. However, U2’s mission is to improve the world through its music and influence. Bono has described himself as a traveling salesman of ideas within songs, which address themes the band members believe are important to promote, including human rights, social justice, and matters of faith. Bono and his wife, Ali, help people experiencing poverty, particularly in Africa, through their philanthropy and the organizations they’ve created.

U2’s members value one another as people and don’t just think of one another as a means to an end. Bono has said that although he hears melodies in his head, he is unable to translate them into written music. Considering himself a terrible guitar and keyboard player, he relies on his fellow members to help him write the songs and praises them for their talents, which are integral to U2’s success.

Bono has also had his band members’ backs during times of trial. When Larry lost his mom in a car accident a short time after the band was formed, Bono was there to support him. Bono, who had already lost his mother, understood Larry’s pain. When U2 was offered its first recording contract on the condition that it replace Larry with a more conventional drummer, Bono told the record company executive, “There’s no deal without Larry.” When the Edge went through divorce, his bandmates were there to support him. When Adam showed up to a concert so stoned he couldn’t perform, the others could have thrown him overboard for letting them down. Instead, they had someone step in to cover for him and then went on to help Adam overcome his drug and alcohol addiction.

Bono’s bandmates have his back too. One of the most vivid examples of this came when U2 campaigned during the 1980s for the observance of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States. Bono received a death threat that warned him not to sing “Pride (In the Name of Love),” a song about the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., at an upcoming concert. The FBI considered it a credible threat. Bono described in an interview that he closed his eyes as he came to the lyrics in the song about the bullet that rang out in the Memphis sky that killed Dr. King. When he opened his eyes again at the end of the verse, he discovered that Adam was standing in front of him to shield him from potential harm. Years later, when U2 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bono thanked Adam for being willing, literally, to take a bullet for him.

Unlike many bands in which one megastar gets most of the economic profits, U2 shares its profits equally among the four band members and their manager. This further shows the value Bono has for his band members and manager. (We’re not saying that all organizations should split the company’s economic profits equally; simply recognize that when leaders take too much, it works against engaging the people they lead.)

Each member has a voice in decisions, thanks to the band’s participatory, consensus-oriented decision-making approach. If one person strongly opposes a particular action, the band won’t do it, which encourages the flow of knowledge among band members, allowing the best ideas to come to light. Their passion for excellence is also reflected in relentless arguments over their music. Bono has stated that this approach can be slow and frustrating at times, but the members of U2 believe it is necessary to achieve excellence.

These factors of shared identity, empathy, and understanding create a culture of connection, community, and unity among the members of U2. Bono has described the band as a tight-knit family and community. Their commitment to support one another extends beyond the four members of the band to a larger community that includes their families, crew members, and collaborators—many of whom have known each other for decades.

The secret of U2’s success is its leadership and culture. Bono connects as a leader among equals because he communicates an inspiring vision and lives it, he values people as individuals, and he gives them a voice in decision making. It is this culture of vision, value, and voice that has helped U2 achieve and sustain its superior performance.

Making It Personal

   What are some ways you could reach out to a colleague who is going through a personal difficulty that would show you care?

   Knowing that a colleague is for you (rather than against you) and wants to see you be able to do your best and succeed makes a difference, especially when you are working through a setback or receiving constructive feedback. How can you show the people you are responsible for leading that you have their back?

   Like U2, do you take the time to try to develop consensus among the people you are responsible for leading? Why would it be important to include people in decisions about their work? What decision do you need to make in the coming weeks that could benefit from bringing others into the conversation at this stage?

Miracle in Motor City

When Alan Mulally was introduced as the next CEO of Ford Motor Company in 2006, he stunned the audience by candidly answering the question “what kind of car do you drive” with the response, “a Lexus … the finest car in the world.” The room fell silent. Mulally’s tenure as CEO of Ford was also full of surprises, particularly the remarkable turnaround he orchestrated.

The year Mulally arrived at Ford, sales, market share, and profits were falling, and the automaker’s culture comprised silo rivalries with leaders embroiled in turf wars. This culture drove Ford to the verge of bankruptcy. By the time Mulally announced his retirement in May 2014, he had led Ford to 19 consecutive profitable quarters and rising market share in North America. And unlike American rivals General Motors and Chrysler, Ford did not seek a U.S. government bailout following the financial crisis in 2008. At his retirement, rather than the stunned silence Mulally experienced when first introduced, Ford employees gave him a standing ovation.

Alan Mulally is an excellent example of a leader who created a connection culture. He used founder Henry Ford’s original vision of “opening the highways for all mankind” to express how the company makes the world a better place by serving others. Mulally explained that Ford gives people freedom of mobility so they can access opportunities for growth. This united employees around the vision and focused them on a cause greater than self. The vision was also factored into decision-making processes, such as in evaluations of new product development. The newly designed F-150 pickup, for example, got an aluminum-based body that made it lighter, more fuel efficient, and more affordable.

Mulally also boosted value in the Ford culture. He frequently used the phrases “One Ford,” “one team,” “the power of teams,” and “working together always works.” He also distributed wallet-sized cards with Ford’s business plan on one side and 16 expected behaviors (values) on the other, including “work together effectively as one team.” In meetings, he acted as a facilitator and coach rather than a dictator, prohibiting humor at the expense of others. Rather than thinking of other individuals and organizations as competitors, Mulally employed a win-win approach to external relationships. This helped him forge an agreement with the United Auto Workers union to make the changes necessary for Ford to make a profit in return for bringing production back to the United States. It also helped him consolidate Ford’s purchases to suppliers that were willing to partner with Ford to drive down costs in return for receiving a greater share of Ford’s business.

Mulally expected leaders to openly share the obstacles they faced, and celebrated leaders who helped one another instead of focusing solely on problems in their domain. Another way he increased voice was through the weekly business plan review (BPR) meeting. Held at Ford’s global headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, the BPR was attended by the global leadership team and all business and functional leaders, either in person or by teleconference. At BPR meetings leaders gave updates on their goals, which were color-coded green for on target, yellow for at-risk, and red for off-target. When problems were identified, follow-up meetings were scheduled to dig deeper and identify solutions. BPRs also addressed strategic topics, such as the economy, labor supply, and competitive developments. Feedback was encouraged during BPRs, which made it a safe environment for honest dialogue. This prompted people to move toward consensus, rather than forcing it, as well as helped decision makers identify optimal solutions, making alignment and excellence in execution more likely.

Making It Personal

   Alan Mulally did many different things to address the silo behavior and rivalries he found at Ford when he became CEO. One avenue he used was employing catch phrases that promoted collaboration and unity, such as “working together always works” and “One Ford.” What are some of the words or phrases that your organization or team uses to encourage or celebrate good work? What are phrases that family members or teachers used when you were growing up that are ingrained in your memory and still guide you?

   The childhood rhyme “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” doesn’t ring true. Though we may hide or suppress our response, words can sting us emotionally. Humor has a place and can be effective at building team rapport and shared experiences. But when humor is at the expense of another person it should not be welcome. Have you observed or experienced how a sarcastic remark has broken connection? Is there anyone you have “wounded,” even unintentionally, while going for a laugh from others? Consider apologizing to that person.

   Mulally’s weekly business plan review meeting included leaders across functions who provided updates on their area of responsibility and were encouraged to participate in giving feedback on issues being raised. How open are you to input on a project from people who don’t have a role or responsibility for it? Who might you ask to be a “sounding board” on a project?

Saving the Girl Scouts

There was a time in the countercultural 1960s and 1970s when the Girl Scouts, like other youth organizations, were viewed as increasingly irrelevant. As a result, the Girl Scouts experienced declining membership. Fortunately, Frances Hesselbein came to the rescue. Hesselbein began her association with the Girl Scouts in the 1960s when she agreed to temporarily lead a troop of 30 girls in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, whose leader had recently left. Although she had no daughters of her own, it wasn’t long before her experience with Troop 17 developed into a lifelong commitment to Girl Scouting. In 1976, she became CEO of the national organization.

With membership falling and the organization in a state of serious decline, Hesselbein put sound management practices in place. During her tenure, Girl Scout membership quadrupled to nearly 3.5 million, diversity more than tripled, and the organization was transformed into what Peter Drucker described as “the best-managed organization around.” She accomplished this amazing turnaround with 6,000 paid staff members and 730,000 volunteers. Her use of connection culture put the Girl Scouts on track for success.

Hesselbein stressed the importance of reaching out to scouts and educating them about the threats they face, such as drugs and teen pregnancy. She helped women to envision the Girl Scouts as a professional, well-managed organization that could carry out this important work.

Hesselbein’s leadership style boosted the culture’s value. She once wrote that effective leaders have a genuine “appreciation of their colleagues individually and the dignity of the work their colleagues do” (Hesselbein 2002). Hesselbein’s leadership philosophy is “to serve is to live” and her words and actions embody human value. She built a conference center to train Girl Scout staff and invested in improving Girl Scout leaders’ people skills. As a role model, she effectively increased human value in the Girl Scout culture and multiplied her actions as other leaders across the organization adopted her leadership style. She kept up with what was going on in the lives of the people around her and personally reached out to anyone when congratulations or consolation were in order.

Voice is key to innovation because it creates a marketplace of ideas that allows people to more easily spot new opportunities to improve the organization. Hesselbein increased this element of a connection culture by approaching communication in an inclusive way, expanding information in ever-larger circles across the organization. Rather than lecturing, her style was to ask insightful questions to draw out relevant issues. In planning and allocating the Girl Scouts’ resources, she introduced a circular management process that involved nearly everyone within the organization.

Frances Hesselbein stressed that communication is circular—listening and responding to one another—and therefore listening must be valued. She wanted the Girls Scouts organization leaders to listen to Girl Scouts, to each other, and to those outside of the organization. When writing about the art of listening, Frances Hesselbein has given this advice: “Banish the ‘but.’” This is especially important when you are giving feedback. According to Hesselbein, “‘But’ is nobody’s friend—listener or speaker. ‘And’ provides the graceful transition, the nonthreatening bridge to mutual appreciation, the communication that builds effective relationships” (Hesselbein 2012).

The Girl Scouts’ future was once again looking bright when Hesselbein passed the leadership torch to her successor in 1990. Of affecting change in a large and complex organization, she has written, “Inclusion is a powerful value: when we open up the organization, dispersing the leadership, including people from across the enterprise, there is a new energy, a new synergy” (McKinney 2011).

She was able to continue spreading her leadership legacy when Peter Drucker recruited her to be the head of the Drucker Foundation (which was renamed the Leader to Leader Institute, and then the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute in 2012). Through its activities, including publication of the award-winning Leader to Leader journal, the institute is dedicated to carrying out the passion that Drucker and Hesselbein shared for strengthening leadership in the social sector. That dedication was further recognized in 1998 when she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton for her work as “a pioneer for women, volunteerism, diversity, and opportunity.”

Making It Personal

   Value exists in a culture when everyone understands the needs of people, appreciates their positive, unique contributions, and helps them achieve their potential. According to Frances Hesselbein, effective leaders have a genuine “appreciation of their colleagues individually and the dignity of the work their colleagues do.” Think about the people you work the most closely with in your job or volunteer work, including those who may work in a different group or location. From your vantage point, what does each person do really well? What aspect of their character can you affirm? Whether in private or in front of your peers, take a moment to recognize that individual.

   Frances Hesselbein’s leadership philosophy is “to serve is to live.” Scientists have found that when we help others, we experience a “helper’s high,” a term for how we feel after the release of endorphins, a “feel good” chemical naturally made in our bodies that can boost our happiness and relieve pain (Berry 2018; Bourg Carter 2014). Serving someone else can shift our focus off ourselves, bring a sense of satisfaction for having done some good, and prompt feelings of gratitude for the blessings we have, however great or small. Have you had that experience of feeling more “alive” after serving others in some capacity?

   Do you recall a time when a supervisor was talking with you about your performance and all was going well until you heard the word “but”? For many of us, any encouraging comment that was said before then will fall by the wayside; what sticks with us is what was said after the “but.” Test out this advice from Frances Hesselbein to “banish the ‘but’” from your vocabulary.

Coach K’s Aha Moment

Mike Krzyzewski, Coach K, as he is better known, has led the Duke University men’s basketball team to the Final Four of American college basketball twelve times. Consider what he’s accomplished as he entered the 2019–2020 season:

One look at his 21-page biography on the Duke website is all one needs to truly appreciate the magnitude of his accomplishments. Coach K’s phenomenal success as a coach and leader raises the question: How does he do it?

The obvious reasons are that he’s talented, disciplined, and works hard. But a lot of coaches fit that description, so there must be something else that separates Coach K from other coaches and provides his team with a sustainable competitive advantage.

Coach K grew up in a male-dominated culture. He attended an all-boys Catholic high school in Chicago and went on to play basketball at West Point under the driven, domineering, and perfectionist coach Bobby Knight. He also served in the U.S. Army.

His outlook took a major turn when he found himself outnumbered at home by his wife, Mickie, and their three daughters. Every night at dinner, Coach K observed how Mickie and the girls reconnected by sharing the details of their day, including what they had done and how they felt about it. Whereas guys often cut to the chase in conversations, his wife and daughters invested time each day to reconnect.

He also observed how attuned they were to how people felt—their intuition was like radar. Time and again Mickie could sense when something was bothering one of Coach K’s players. She was nearly always right, so he learned that it was wise to follow up and ask the player if something was wrong. Sure enough, something was always amiss and talking about the problem made the player feel, and play, better. When he didn’t follow up, the player often fell out of sync with the team and performance suffered.

Coach K’s aha moment about the importance of connection and relationships transformed his coaching style. He began involving Mickie and his daughters in the Duke men’s basketball program. The Krzyzewski women became, in military terms, a reconnaissance team to sense the state of relationships, emotions, connection, community, and unity among the team. The boys became extended members of their family. As Coach K became more intentional about developing the feeling of connection among the team, it produced superior results. He stressed the importance of knowing everyone’s name and being courteous to fellow players: “You know what? ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’ go a long way. You can be damn sure that every guy on my team says that. The best way to get better as a team is if everyone has ownership, and if you do these things they will” (Sokolove 2006).

If you study Coach K’s approach, you’ll see that he clearly articulates a connection culture in which shared identity, empathy, and understanding move primarily self-centered individuals toward group-centered membership. When speaking to potential recruits, Coach K tells them, “We’re developing a relationship here, and if you are not interested, tell me sooner rather than later…. If you come here, for however long, you’re going to unpack your suitcase. We’re going to form a bond, and you’re going to be part of this family” (Sokolove 2006).

On the surface, this sounds easy. But it’s not. Human beings are complex. We are driven consciously and unconsciously by an infinite variety of past experiences, temperaments, perspectives, and thinking and learning styles. Coach K and his coaching staff, including the Krzyzewski women, have been developing ways to connect for years. Whereas many coaches and leaders remain clueless to the power of connection, the Krzyzewskis continue refining their methods while adding to Coach K’s legacy and the remarkable record of success of Duke’s men’s basketball program.

Making It Personal

   Who on your team or in your organization is a natural connector? What are their “best practices” that you and others could adopt?

   Is there someone on your team who is “along the edges” and not very connected? What can you do that would make them feel more connected to the group?

   How are you at remembering names? Here are common tips to try: When you are first introduced, mentally commit to capturing the person’s name. Use it right away if you can (“It’s nice to meet you, Jane”) and casually use it several more times over the course of your conversation. If you didn’t quite catch it, ask the person to repeat the name. If it is not a common name to you, you might ask the person to spell it for you. Other recommendations include thinking of a rhyme or an association.

Designing Connection Into Culture

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is a not-for-profit independent healthcare organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with a mission to improve health and healthcare worldwide while reducing waste and cost. Since its founding in 1991, IHI has worked with healthcare providers and leaders throughout the world to achieve safe and effective healthcare. IHI’s work has included motivating healthcare organizations to change, designing and testing new models of care in partnership with both patients and healthcare professionals, and ensuring the adoption of best practices and effective innovations.

IHI is a mission-driven organization that defines clear goals for its work. In 2004, for example, IHI set out to save 100,000 lives in 18 months through six best practices it identified and shared with healthcare organizations (Baehrend 2016). More than 3,000 hospitals in the United States joined the campaign, and they saved more than 120,000 lives (Bisognano 2018–2019). In addition to being task and results oriented, IHI has cultivated a culture of connection that achieves relationship excellence.

Maureen Bisognano was hired in 1995 to become chief operating officer and executive vice president. From 2010 to 2015, she served as president and CEO. Bisognano recounted to me that “when Don [IHI founder Donald M. Berwick, MD] and I got together, we were very intentional about the culture.” They invested considerable time researching and discussing how to develop the best organizational culture, even meeting with seasoned corporate leaders to get their perspectives.

Speaking with Bisognano, I asked her to share specific ways that connection was infused in the culture through vision, value, and voice. She was looking at connection in all areas of IHI, starting with whether a potential new hire would fit in well with the culture. She mentioned that when candidates were interviewed to join the team, they met with staff at all levels at IHI. The interviewers would then get together and decide if there was a connection, and if so, a job offer was extended.

Even the physical space of the Boston office was evaluated as to whether it was conducive to connection. Office space was designed to be open and to encourage “accidental” conversations. No one had a private office, including Berwick and Bisognano, who shared an office with six other colleagues. Leaders were accessible and approachable. Bisognano was known to keep a bowl full of chocolate in the CEO’s space to encourage people to stop by.

Berwick and Bisognano developed a set of values with input from IHI staff. To keep them in front of people, the values were printed on coffee cups and stenciled on the walls of IHI’s office. Going deeper, an IHI citizenship guide was created to articulate the values. The IHI Citizenship Guide provided clear statements to help everyone across the organization understand how they were expected to conduct themselves and how they would like to be treated. Also expressed was “The Reputation,” which described how IHI aspired to be viewed by people outside the organization. It included the following:

In the first week of January, Berwick and Bisognano would roll out the strategic plan for the year. Then, on the first Friday of the year, every person at IHI would attend a day-long gathering that would go beyond discussing the upcoming year from an organization-wide standpoint. It would get personal. First, they would write down their own goals for the year and rate themselves on how they were currently doing. This included assessing themselves on personal growth, professional growth, family and loved ones, health, finances, and commitment to their community. Then they would write out where they wanted to go in the year ahead. They also created a personal asset map with their past accomplishments and skills. When the process was completed, decisions were made about job assignments for the year. Some people moved from answering phones to learning programs. Some moved from teaching patient safety to working in Africa to save the lives of mothers and babies. In other words, people had a voice in crafting their work and career path at IHI.

IHI was intentional about creating and maintaining feedback loops. A monthly pulse survey consisting of six questions provided Bisognano with feedback about how people were doing. At the coffee gatherings Bisognano held twice a month, she would share the results and what actions were being taken to address issues that had been raised. Bisognano described a profound lesson for her when a young male colleague shared that IHI’s paternity policy was outdated. She responded that IHI was progressive and she was sure he was wrong. But when Bisognano checked on it, she was “horrified” to discover he was right. At the next coffee meeting, she announced IHI was changing the paternity policy so fathers had more time with their newborns and that IHI’s maternity policy was also being changed to give new mothers additional time.

Between those coffee gatherings, an informal and whimsical method of gauging how things were going was on display for all to see. Placed at the door where people left the office each day were two bowls and a tin can containing white and blue beads. If they had a good day, they would pick up a white bead and drop it in the bowl that had a smiling face on it; if they had a bad day, a day of setbacks or frustrations, a blue bead was selected and placed in the other bowl. The ratio of white to blue beads was tallied each day and communicated at the next group gathering with Bisognano.

As another means of ensuring that lines of communication could flow smoothly, colleagues could “request mast,” a term IHI borrowed from the U.S. Navy that meant individuals had the right to take an issue or concern to a leader who is more senior than their direct supervisor.

When it comes to the individuals a leader is responsible for leading, Bisognano told me she believes it is critical for leaders to understand the person’s whole life. In addition to knowing employees’ names, leaders should know what’s going on with their families and lives outside work. IHI encourages everyone to “never worry alone,” which communicated that their colleagues have their backs and they don’t need to deal with difficult problems and issues on their own.

Bisognano believes it is important to build teams that are multi-generational, multicultural, and multi-professional. (At IHI, a multi-professional team would be one that includes physicians, nurses, and administrators, for example.) One means of promoting multi-generational connection was to encourage mentoring in which young people felt comfortable asking older colleagues to guide them as well as reverse mentoring that might pair an older colleague with a younger colleague to bring them up to speed in an area in which the younger colleague had more experience, such as using a new technology tool.

To help the mix of diverse individuals work well together, Bisognano asked staff from many cultures to speak at Lunch & Learn sessions. The sessions included foods from the speaker’s culture and gave attendees an appreciation for the language, family values, and way people from that cultural background viewed work.

IHI’s Ministry of Fun organized events to boost connection, including sports outings, in-office golf tournaments, and retreats. One event was the annual IHI Olympics held at Bisognano’s home, with teams comprising people from different departments (so they would get to know one another) competing in games. Leading up to the IHI Olympics, teams met to prepare for the competition and make team T-shirts, learning more about each other, personally and professionally, along the way.

Bisognano began each Monday morning meeting with the senior executive team by asking the members to take one or two minutes and share one good thing, a practice that helped the leadership team get to know one another better. In these meetings, most of the good things were personal memories of the weekends with family and friends. Then, at 9:30 a.m., an hour-long all-staff meeting was facilitated by a staff member, with remote workers dialing in. Bisognano usually told a story of a patient who benefited from IHI’s work to reinforce the meaning of the team’s work. This was followed by a mix of agenda items that included describing project results, sharing ideas for new research, thanking people, and seeking opinions and ideas about work-related issues.

Meetings at IHI were conducted with the expectation that anyone could contribute great ideas. This mindset made it safe for even college interns to speak up and share their ideas and opinions. When a meeting was held, the rule was that if you were in the office and you were interested in the content being covered, you were free to join in.

In early 2016, Maureen Bisognano retired from a full-time role at IHI. As president emerita and senior fellow, she continues to speak at healthcare conferences and advise healthcare organizations.

Making It Personal

   For a group to have sustainable superior performance there needs to be both task excellence and relationship excellence. Therefore, it’s not enough to base a hiring decision on a candidate’s competence with the task side. If the candidate is not a good fit relationally, they will disrupt the connection that is in place. As part of its interview process, IHI has candidates meet with staff at all levels of the organization. What steps does your organization take to determine if a candidate will work well with the existing team and will be aligned with the vision, mission, and values of the group? What questions would you ask a candidate to draw out the person’s ability to connect in your setting?

   As you read the profile, did you notice the range of opportunities that IHI offers for colleagues to have a voice and be in the loop? Which one most resonated with you—the company-wide review of the strategic plan for the coming year, the regular informal gatherings with the CEO, or the invitation to attend a meeting that interests you even if it is outside of your area of responsibility?

   What is the age diversity within your group and across the organization? In what ways can you encourage multi-generational connections? Are there topics that younger employees can “reverse mentor” older employees on?

Prescribing Connection

As a shy, young boy growing up in Miami, Florida, Vivek Murthy often was anxious when dropped off at school. It wasn’t the academics that concerned him; it was the social aspect. Although he felt alone and had experienced racism, he didn’t tell his parents because he did not want them to worry.

His parents had a profound influence on him. Originally from India, they first emigrated to England, where Murthy was born, and then moved first to Newfoundland in Canada, and then to Miami, Florida, when he was three years old. His father, Hallegere, is a primary care physician, and his mother, Myetriae, manages her husband’s medical office. Murthy spent a fair amount of time at the family’s medical office, helping out with simple tasks, greeting patients, and opening mail. Murthy witnessed how his parents approached medicine as more than diagnosing and treating sickness. They viewed patients as family and cultivated a powerful and healing bond of trust. “I was too young to understand the science, but what I did see was my parents building these extraordinary relationships with people,” he recalls (ACGME 2019). Years later, not only did Murthy follow in their footsteps but so did his sister, Rashmi, who practices family medicine alongside her father.

When Murthy was seven years old, his parents woke him and his sister up in the middle of the night, loaded them into the car, and drove to a trailer park. En route, their mother explained they were going to see the widow of a patient named Gordon who had just died from a prolonged battle with cancer. They were concerned Ruth might be grieving alone. Murthy recalls seeing his mother climb the steps of the trailer, dressed in her traditional Indian sari, and knock on the front door. Murthy remembers seeing tears streaming down Ruth’s face as she embraced his mother. How the Murthys cared for their patients and how they lived their lives serving others inspired him to become a physician.

As a teenager, Murthy observed how people connected and selflessly pulled together to help each other following the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew in August 1992.

After graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University, Murthy went on to Yale University where he earned MD and MBA degrees. His residency in internal medicine was completed at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and he joined Harvard Medical School as an instructor.

Over the next years, Murthy co-founded and led several not-for-profit and for-profit organizations to serve others. One is TrialNetworks, a software company that improves research collaboration in clinical trials and was subsequently acquired by DrugDev. Another is Doctors for America, a nonprofit that in 2019 numbered more than 18,000 physicians and medical student members committed to bringing high-quality, affordable healthcare to all.

On December 15, 2014, the U.S. Senate confirmed Vivek Murthy’s nomination as America’s 19th surgeon general, the youngest in U.S. history. During his ensuing 28-month tenure, Murthy made many contributions, including leading initiatives to reduce addiction, reduce e-cigarette use on the part of youth, promote walking and walkable communities, and encourage vaccination. With the rank of vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Murthy led the uniformed service of more than 6,500 public health officers who worked to protect the country from outbreaks of the Ebola and Zika viruses, and to respond to major hurricanes and healthcare shortages occurring in rural communities.

Murthy’s experience as a physician, combined with his listening tour of America after he became surgeon general, convinced him that the root of many health problems is chronic loneliness and stress. In hearing people share their stories of substance use or obesity or mental illness, for example, he felt the story behind the story was usually one of deeper emotional pain. He pointed to several causes for those feelings of loneliness, including more people moving away from home, additional time spent interacting with technology, and the nature of work crowding out time for relationships. “The topic is personal to me,” he said in an interview, “because I was lonely for many years as a young child, but I felt too ashamed to admit it to my family or teachers” (Schwabel 2017).

Murthy is a fellow advocate for greater connection in society. Since leaving his post as surgeon general in 2017, Murthy has expressed his desire to help foster a society for his own children and all children that values them for who they are—compassionate, kind, and generous, for example—and not for their material possessions, financial worth, or whether they are wearing the latest fashions. He is the author of Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World (2020).

Murthy strongly believes that organizations need to make boosting connections in their cultures a strategic priority. He recommends that organizations measure loneliness and that everyone in the workplace freely give and receive help, take the time to get to know each other, and protect personal time with family and friends. He likes to share examples from when he was surgeon general of practices he and his colleagues developed to boost connection. For example, “Inside Scoop” helps colleagues get to know each other on a deeper level without cutting into personal time or requiring a lot of planning, preparation, and resources. As part of the weekly all-hands meeting, one individual would have five minutes to show a few photos related to their life and tell the others about them. Over time, each participant took a turn.

“In listening, in just five minutes, we got to see whole other dimensions of people we had not understood in working together for a year,” Murthy said. “People started treating each other differently, stepping out of their lanes and helping each other more. They felt they had been seen. It’s powerful as institutions to create simple opportunities like that to see each other clearly for who they are” (ACGME 2019).

As a result of “Inside Scoop,” Murthy observed that people felt more valued when their colleagues learned about them on a more personal level, introverted individuals began speaking up more and taking more responsibility, people seemed less stressed, and they commented that they felt more connected.

In a 2019 keynote interview in front of a physician-led organization that establishes and monitors the professional educational standards for residency and fellowship programs for physician training, Murthy reinforced the critical role of connection, stressing that if we are going to tackle and address big issues facing our society, we need to be able to dialogue with one another, and that is hard to do when we are increasingly disconnected. He said, “I have come to believe that the foundation on which we build everything else in our life, whether it’s our political system, our healthcare system, or the workplace, is our connection with each other. And if that connection is weak, then we are building a house on a weak foundation and it is going to crumble easily…. We have to go back to rebuilding our foundation and we do that by focusing on connection in our lives, in our institutions, in society more broadly, and, ultimately, by trying to create more connected lives for ourselves and the people around us” (ACGME 2019).

Making It Personal

   As you consider the people you work with, do you see signs of loneliness in anyone in particular? What might you do to come alongside them.

   If you were to bring the “Inside Scoop” exercise into a regular meeting you have with your group, what photos would you choose to share with your colleagues and what do they represent about you?

   Dr. Murthy has said that if we are going to tackle big issues facing our society, we need to be able to dialogue with one another, and that is hard to do when we are increasingly disconnected. In your organization, how has connection enabled people to be more cooperative and aligned when addressing a big issue, whether it is a competitive threat to prepare for or a market opportunity to pursue?

Called to Connect

Because of the way our brains work, we need to interact with a variety of people or we are more likely to feel threatened when we encounter people who are different than us. Ralph and Rich Brandt understand this from their experience growing up as identical twins. Because they primarily interacted with each other, being exposed to people who were different made them feel anxious. For example, as boys, when they watched the old Westerns of “cowboys and Indians” on TV, they were terrified.

Twins, as Ralph shared with me, can become so attached that they shut others out. Ralph and Rich were so close that they went to the same college then attended the same theological seminary and worked for the same church. Being in full-time ministry was not, as it turns out, their calling.

Over time, as their circle of friends and acquaintances expanded, Ralph and Rich grew comfortable with people who were different than them. They even began to enjoy many of the differences they encountered as they got to know people. The twins discovered that helping people connect despite their differences is their calling.

Today, Ralph, Rich, and their colleagues at RDR Group based in suburban Chicago train people in organizations to increase inclusion by practicing it—not just discussing it—because it’s about cultivating connection. As it turns out, the Brandts (who are older white males) serve a client base that is mostly younger, women, and people of color. This means connecting with those who are different is a regular practice and a needed business skill. But for both of them, it is also part of their private lives—and now that Ralph has a son-in-law who is African American, diversity is more than a vocational calling, it’s intensely personal.

When the Brandts are brought in to work with a group to increase diversity and inclusion, their approach begins by defining diversity as “any difference that makes a difference” and inclusion as “getting people fully engaged” (not just present, but involved). Differences might be anything from gender, race, age, appearance, interests, personality type, communication style, sexual orientation, or even family status (single, married, divorced). Participants are then asked to consider how connection and disconnection affects their organization internally and externally. Inevitably, this exercise makes the case for connection with all people and not just some. Participants talk about how it holds them back from performing their best work when people feel disconnected because of differences and how making everyone feel connected helps the entire team perform to its highest potential.

After people see the positive impact connection makes and the negative impact of disconnection, the Brandts share five human tendencies that create these “disconnects” and the corresponding competencies to help people connect better despite their differences. Then they offer follow-up practices to actually make inclusion happen. Here’s a broad overview:

The Brandts advocate that only when these inclusive practices are implemented can biases be changed and workplaces transformed.

Fostering a connection culture for everyone is the right and smart thing to do. Connecting despite our differences seems more important than ever when we are surrounded by abuses of power, growing incivility, a deeply divided society, and hate crimes everywhere we turn. Connecting with everyone creates greater fairness, unity, civility, and an environment where people can maximize their contributions, irrespective of differences.

Making It Personal

   On your team, what are the “differences that make a difference”? Have you noticed a particular difference that is negatively affecting the ability of team members to work well together? What might you do to address the issue and encourage connection?

   Consider how connection and disconnection affect your organization internally and externally by jotting down words and phrases for the combinations below. You might think in terms of engagement, sales, reputation, trust, employee turnover, productivity, safety issues, innovation, and so forth.

   As you read the five human tendencies that hinder connection and the inclusive practices that would help people better connect despite their differences, was there one that stood out to you? Why did you choose that one?

Claiming Culture as the Advantage

“My biggest role is to create a great culture of trust at Progressive,” says Tricia Griffith of Progressive Corporation, America’s third-largest auto insurer with more than 20 million policyholders and more than 38,000 employees (Illinois State University staff 2019). Progressive, well-known for its popular series of television commercials that feature dependable and enthusiastic spokesperson Flo in her signature headband and white apron, has been growing faster than Apple in recent years.

Griffith started at Progressive more than 30 years ago after answering a classified advertisement to be an entry-level claims representative. While heading human resources from 2002 to 2008, Griffith launched Progressive’s first diversity and inclusion program. She then gained broad experience as the president of the claims group, president of customer operations, and chief operating officer of the personal lines branch. When Glenn Renwick retired as CEO, Griffith stepped into the top role.

For successfully leading Progressive as president and CEO since 2016, Griffith was named Fortune magazine’s Businessperson of the Year in 2018. Adding to the public accolades, Progressive was named to Fortune’s Best Workplaces list in 2018 and 2019.

Progressive’s vision is “to reduce the human trauma and economic costs associated with automobile accidents.” Griffith leads with Progressive’s five core values that “enable the company to grow profitably and in the right way.” They were described in a profile with her college alma mater, Illinois State University, as “maintain integrity, follow the Golden Rule, work from clear objectives, and stay committed to excellence while making a reasonable profit.”

Griffith connects with the people she is responsible for leading, saying that it’s important to her to be approachable. She attends new employee orientation so she can personally greet new colleagues. Most Fridays, she’ll get lunch in the corporate cafeteria in Progressive’s headquarters near Cleveland, Ohio, and join a table of people she hasn’t met. “It’s really fun to get to know people, and I have four or five new friends every Friday,” she’s said (Shookman 2019). She practices open communications, sharing both the good and the bad, and encourages healthy debate. People at Progressive are comfortable connecting with their CEO. Walking the halls with Griffith, you’ll hear people greet her with “Hi, Tricia” and a smile. Her long-time colleagues rave about her ability to foster teamwork and connect with people who work throughout the company.

Progressive encourages creativity and innovation by holding hackathons and maintaining an “innovation garage,” an employee-run internal think tank. These and other efforts have helped Progressive develop a widely known reputation for its analytics. In 2017 it rolled out a mobile phone app for customers that allows it to collect data on an individual driver’s driving style and use an algorithm it developed to assess the risk of distracted driving.

In a 2019 presentation to Wall Street analysts and investors titled “Our Culture Is Our Foundation,” Griffith made the case that Progressive’s people and culture of “togetherness” provides the most powerful source of competitive advantage. Some of the factors she cited include that 90 percent of open positions at Progressive are filled internally, Progressive invests heavily in developing people, and Progressive welcomes disagreement, encourages debate, and values differing opinions. She argued that Progressive’s culture and people strategies produced outstanding results. Those watching were already well acquainted with Progressive’s stellar operational and financial results and stock performance. To connect Progressive’s culture to its results, Griffith presented data from Gallup that showed:

Griffith knows how important culture and connection are for Progressive to sustain its success, and she’s not shy about saying this to an audience that is heavily numbers and data-driven. The leader who ascended from claims rep to CEO, Griffith is leading the way in claiming and cultivating a culture of connection that provides sustainable superior performance and a competitive advantage by bringing out the best in people, individually and collectively.

Making It Personal

   How would you describe the role of trust in whether you feel connected? Are you naturally a more trusting or distrusting person? What do you need to trust another person?

   How approachable are the leaders in your organization? If you are responsible for leading others, what steps can you take to make yourself available, such as deliberately putting space in your daily schedule to chat with people and build rapport? Are you someone whom a person at any level of the organization would be comfortable speaking to? Would others agree with that assessment?

   Are there vehicles in your organization to capture ideas, however raw and untested they may be? How do leaders feel about disagreement and debate? A consequence of having a culture of control is that ideas and information that are relevant or important but will be perceived by the leader as bad news may not come to the surface. How can you create an environment in which people will safeguard relational connections and have a dialogue?

Connecting During a Time of Change

This final profile will be a bit different from the others. For starters, this is Katie writing. At my request, Mike kindly passed me the pen.

What do leaders need to keep in mind when communicating during a time of crisis, great change, or prolonged uncertainty? With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first part of 2020, suddenly there were layers of leaders around the world talking about the same topic at the same time. In the U.S., it seemed that federal, state, and local leaders in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., were speaking every day. Leaders in business, education, entertainment, and nonprofits were also actively communicating. The messaging about the virus and what should be done about it varied, and so did the delivery of those messages.

When watching the news, reading articles online, and making my way through emails, I couldn’t help but view these communications through the lens of connection and culture. Were the attitudes, words, and behaviors of our leaders serving to connect people or disconnect them? Were the elements of vision, value, and voice being employed in these communications? What could I tell about a leader’s understanding that people have the need for respect, recognition, belonging, autonomy, personal growth, meaning, and progress? And finally, I thought about what lessons could be learned and applied in other contexts, such as merging two companies together or implementing a major software program involving multiple stakeholders across locations.

In an April 2020 interview, Dov Seidman, founder and chairman of an ethics and compliance company and an organization promoting values-based leadership, was asked what the best leaders have in common. He focused on three areas: trust, hope, and humility. “Great leaders trust people with the truth. And they make hard decisions guided by values and principles, not just politics, popularity, or short-term profits,” Seidman explained. “Whenever there is more trust in a company, country, or community, good things happen.” He then went on to distinguish between hope and optimism, saying that “the true antidote to fear is hope, not optimism. Hope comes from seeing your leader lead in a way that brings out the best in people by inspiring collaboration, common purpose, and future possibilities. It takes hope to overcome great fear and meet great challenges. People do, of course, appreciate good news and optimism from their leaders, but only if it’s grounded in reality, facts, and data” (Friedman 2020).

It may seem natural for leaders to think they have to project power, authority, and unwavering confidence when guiding people through uncharted territory. They may be reluctant to show uncertainty about data in an evolving situation, concerned that it will negatively impact how they are perceived. Seidman’s view is that people value leaders who have the humility to say that while they don’t have the answer today, they are working with experts to learn more. A study published in March 2020 suggests that “being transparent about uncertainty does not harm the public’s trust in the facts or in the source.” This finding was supported by comments from the director general of the U.K.’s Office for Statistics Regulation, who said that “being trustworthy depends not on conveying an aura of infallibility, but on honesty and transparency” (Roberts 2020).

A number of leaders caught my eye this spring, for a variety of reasons, and I’d like to highlight a few positive examples. One of the first to go on my list was Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. A sought-after guest on news programs, Fauci was a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force and frequently spoke at press briefings. Dov Seidman pointed to him as a model of humility: “The more I hear Dr. Fauci say that he does not know something, the more closely I listen to him discuss what he is sure of.”

Another medical expert who drew national attention and praise was Dr. Amy Acton, now-former director of the Ohio Department of Health, a multi-faceted role that also involved advising the governor and leading the department’s ongoing work on a broad array of public health issues. How many state public health officials do you know who have a fan club and have inspired citizens to create merchandise using phrases they’ve said in a daily press briefing?

Under Acton’s leadership, Ohio took bold, early action—declaring a state of emergency when Ohio only had three confirmed COVID-19 cases; becoming the first state to shut down schools; and implementing a stay at home order when the death toll stood at three people. At the time of this writing in mid-July 2020, Ohio continued to have the lowest infection ratio among the 12 most populated states (Hancock 2020). Normally, the person behind such strict measures would not be a “fan favorite,” but Acton was able to connect with her fellow Ohioans as an empathetic expert.

In daily briefings alongside the governor, Acton calmly explained what was going on in a way that was relatable and understandable. She was honest about what was known and unknown, and regularly acknowledged how tough the situation was. “People at home, you are moving mountains. You are saving lives,” she said in a press briefing on April 6. “Again, I get emotional talking about this because this is no small thing that we are doing together. It is so incredibly hard to have shut down our lives the way we have. I am absolutely certain you will look back and know that you helped save each other in this state, the impact is profound. Please, at home, don’t stop” (Dosani and Westbrook 2020).

She also understood the importance of acknowledging that everyone was feeling the stress, including herself. “Every day I go through stages of grief,” she shared on April 16. “I go through denial, I go through a little anger, I go through a little bargaining [with myself]…. I get a little down” (Dosani and Westbrook 2020).

Acton affirmed Ohioans over and over. Early on, she put in front of them the image of being heroes: “There are everyday heroes everywhere. We know that not all heroes wear capes,” she said during the March 19 press briefing. A few days later she affirmed “You’re heroic when you stay at home and watch your neighbor who is a nurse’s child.” During the April 17 briefing, Acton said it again: “I know you’re all donning those capes in big ways and small ways.” It was the phrase “not all heroes wear capes” that captured the public’s imagination and reinforced that each person had a part to play in slowing down virus transmission (Dosani and Westbrook 2020).

Admired by many citizens and highly commended by peers in the medical community, Acton was also the subject of harsh criticism and opposition for her orders that resulted in tight restrictions. In addition to lawsuits and efforts by the Ohio state legislature to restrict her authority, protesters appeared outside Acton’s home in early May, some carrying guns (Witte 2020). On June 11 she resigned as director of the Ohio Department of Health. Running the department, handling the pandemic, and advising the governor were three jobs, she said during the press briefing, and she wanted to devote her efforts to one area. She also wants to spend more time with her family. Acton will continue to serve Ohio as the governor’s chief health advisor, focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, Acton’s not the only one to leave office during this crisis—more than 25 state and local health leaders across 13 states left their posts between April and mid-June (Weber et al. 2020). Ken DeBurgh, executive director of the Health Officers Association of California, commented, “It’s disheartening to see people who disagree with the order go from attacking the order to attacking the officer to questioning their motivation, expertise, and patriotism. That’s not something that should ever happen” (Borchardt and Balmert 2020). Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine expressed his deep appreciation for Acton’s “selfless and tireless service to the people of Ohio” when he announced her decision to step down as director. He added, “No one is more passionate about public health than Dr. Amy Acton” (Mosby 2020).

New York was a hot spot in the early months of the pandemic, and had specific challenges because of the density of New York City. Similar to Acton, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was also getting quite a bit of out-of-state attention for his daily press briefings. Intrigued, I tuned in to a few to see what they were like.

One of the things I noticed right away was his use of phrases to remind the people of New York who they are. It made me think about self-fulfilling prophecy and psychology’s Pygmalion Effect—what we say to others about our expectations of them affects how they view themselves and the effort they put in. When Governor Cuomo told his fellow citizens, “We are New York tough—which means tough, smart, united, disciplined, and loving,” he was calling them higher and inspiring them. In his briefing on April 3, Cuomo spoke of the aspirational nature of the state motto, “excelsior” (which is Latin for ever higher), reminding listeners that “we can be better, we can lift ourselves.” Later, he brought it back to the U.S. motto, “E pluribus unum”: “How many times have we seen a disaster across this country and how many Americans just show up to help? I mean, it’s in the American DNA to say, ‘We’re here to help one another.’ It is E pluribus unum,” Cuomo said. “Out of many, one—we’re community, we’re Americans, we’re a family, we’re brothers and sisters. There’s a commonality” (Cuomo 2020b).

Known for speaking bluntly, Cuomo also kept the “why” in front of people, while being honest and empathetic about what people were feeling. “New Yorkers have been so supportive of each other. You can feel it. There’s a spirit of community and mutuality,” he said in a May 1 briefing. “You look at the way people have complied with these rules, as annoying as they are, masks, six feet, this, that’s out of respect one for the other.” Cuomo went on to share his thanks to those who were wearing masks. “The mask does not protect me. I wear the mask to protect you. What a beautiful sign of caring, of mutuality…. That’s the spirit, even in this terrible time of difficulty” (Cuomo 2020a).

Earlier in his May 1 briefing, Cuomo also spent a lot of time addressing the mental health issues the pandemic had caused or exacerbated in the general population. He assured New Yorkers that they were not alone and that help was out there. “People shouldn’t be shy in any way or have any second thoughts about calling [the New York State Emotional Support Hotline] for help,” he said, perhaps with the shared identity of “New York tough” in mind. “There is no shame in reaching out and saying, ‘I need help.’”

He also acknowledged that the pandemic has been a very difficult situation for everyone, but “when life knocks you on your rear … learn, grow, and get back up.” It had also exposed a whole host of issues that need to be addressed by the state, and Cuomo assured New Yorkers that leaders “will learn [these hard lessons], and we will be better for it” (Cuomo 2020a).

An excellent example of a political leader on a national level is New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. In addition to holding formal press conferences and hosting online Q&A sessions with experts to educate and keep people informed, Ardern made herself accessible to citizens through informal live video chats on her Facebook page. While streaming the chats from home, Ardern comfortably mixed important information and comments about her personal life, often including humorous anecdotes about being a mom. Her calm demeanor and relaxed delivery made it feel more like a conversation with a trusted and caring friend than a politician. Ardern excelled at relating news to practical, everyday situations and then expanding on the topic by answering questions viewers posted during the session. I appreciated that she even used the viewer’s first name when restating their question and starting her reply.

The evening before New Zealanders began a four-week lockdown in March, Ardern appeared on Facebook Live wearing an oversized green sweatshirt, apologizing for her informality and explaining that putting a toddler to bed could be messy. Then she went on to explain why the lockdown was necessary, answer scores of questions, and ask people to check on their elderly neighbors. “Stay at home, break the chain, and you will save lives,” she said in closing. “It’s as simple as that. That’s everyone’s job for the next four [weeks]” (Ardern 2020b).

Ardern often talked about “our team of 5 million” and “winning the fight against COVID-19,” reminding people that this was a mission to be accomplished together (Cave 2020). When she hosted Q&A sessions with experts, she showed genuine interest by first asking how things were going in their self-isolation “bubbles” (Ardern 2020a).

New Zealanders rallied behind their prime minister and her call to “please be strong, be kind and united against COVID-19” (Editorial Board 2020). As of June 8, the country of nearly 5 million people had no active cases of COVID-19 and at just 22 deaths, one of the lowest infection and death rates in the world. In her Facebook Live post that day, Ardern confessed to doing a little happy dance when she found out that the Cabinet had agreed to move to Level 1, which meant no more limits on gatherings or physical distancing; a near return to normal for the country (Neuman 2020).

And, finally, here is an example from outside government life. The Aspen Music Festival and School is a classical music festival known for its eight-week summer season that draws 100,000 audience members to the beautiful mountain setting of Aspen, Colorado. I’ve attended concerts and programs there for over several decades now, and it is a glorious abundance of riches featuring performances by world-renowned artists alongside talented young-adult students who are there for training. What would social distancing and stay at home orders mean for this event that people look forward to and brings so many guests to this ski town?

On May 4, 2020, Festival president Alan Fletcher conveyed news that no one wanted to hear. I found his message so beautifully written that I am sharing it in its entirety. Notice his use of pronouns, how he shares that many voices and opinions were considered in making the decision, how he acknowledges emotions, and how he proclaims hope.

Connection is all about “we.” And these leaders showed that in their communications by employing the connection culture elements of vision, value, and voice. Through my observations of them and many others, I’ve come away with a few thoughts on what should factor into communicating in a time of big change:

Shared identity, empathy, and understanding make a rocky path more manageable to navigate and traverse together.

Making It Personal

   Which leaders do you believe successfully communicated in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in ways that connected people? Why? How about the opposite?

   Think of your work experience and a time when your group or organization went through a major challenge or change. From your perspective, what did leaders do well and what did they do poorly when it came to communicating during that period?

   How willing are you to be open with others at work about your feelings, concerns, or what you don’t know about a project? Can you think of a situation in which doing so would strengthen connection with your colleagues?