Leadership Culture Expert Kimberly Layne: Ten Connection Corrections
Feb 27, 2020, 08:43 ET
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Feb. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite the fact that we have more communications options than ever before, it seems all too clear that we're disengaging — pulling away from one another at work and at home — denying ourselves the ability to be present and truly experience what's around us with all five senses.
"Disconnection is just as much an indicator of life expectancy as is blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity; in any area of our life, it leads to a lack of joy, happiness, and peace," says Kimberly Layne, author of Connections Change Everything: How Smart Leaders Connect Through Better Conversations (2020, www.indiebooksintl.com).
Layne, a leadership culture expert, believes feeling and being more connected at work is a key component to an individual's happiness. With the growing "isolation epidemic," increased incidence of suicide and depression, and the absence of traditional neighborhood community the workplace has to become the new "thriving," community-place. With that presumption in mind, she wrote the book for two reasons: to debunk the perception that digital technology provides the connection people need and to have a platform to share her story and lead by example.
"I draw from my past journey, challenges, and success to help others who desire to grow and learn," Layne says. "I bridge the gap between employers and their employees by educating and coaching leaders on how to have real conversations and build connection with their teams." It is time to practice "Connected Leadership."
A professional speaker, consultant and leadership advisor, Layne educates, inspires, and coaches leaders at all levels on how to improve culture and build deeper and more sustainable connections that attract, motivate, and retain talent for bottom line impact. In her role as CEO and founder of The Kimberly Connection Company (KCC), she turns around the performance of companies by improving "broken cultures" through healthier connections between leaders and their teams.
In Connections Change Everything, Layne focuses on topics that include the consequences of disconnection, the power of digital technology, difficult conversations and conflict resolution, and the hidden power of breaking bread. Throughout the book, she provides a variety of Connection Corrections, including these:
- Introduce mobile-free meetings at least once a week, and mobile-free meals at least that often at home, and in all business meals, where possible. Exercise three points of connection a day by calling, meeting in person or sharing a meal.
- Have those difficult conversations respectfully by picking up the phone or meeting people in person. Don't chicken out and use digital technology to manage your message impersonally.
- Use the methodology SOLVE to address conflicts: state the initial premise, understand all objections, lay out and brainstorm ideas, verify and vet those ideas, and execute on your new solution.
- If you want to build a real connection with someone, create a shared experience over breaking bread. One good meal and time together will beat out 20 Zoom meetings or phone calls in a heartbeat.
- Find a charity that the company supports and build a fun event around raising money for the charity that breeds equality, fun, and community.
- Provide wellness opportunities such as yoga or meditation to relieve employee stress, and/or educational sessions that target stressful issues employees face out of work.
- When leveraging a work-from-home environment, advocate for employees to come into the office once a week. Schedule monthly or quarterly team meetings, and weekly individual meetings in person or over the phone.
- Start treating employees as human beings, not output machines, and you will get more output out of your human beings.
- Make your employees' growth the development a key responsibility by providing ongoing opportunities to grow their skillsets, creating a mentorship program, and celebrating their promotions and wins as a reflection of your awesome skills as a leader.
- Leave your title at your desk and start recognizing and rewarding individuals for creativity, stellar skill sets, and small and large accomplishments.
Layne also highlights several practices that can be incorporated within organizations to continue to build a sense of belonging, demonstrate appreciation for employees and create accessibility as a leadership team.
"As leaders, the more we act like we care, and sincerely and genuinely do, the more our employees will be willing to take risks, put in their best effort on a deadline, inspire with creative ideas, and contribute positively and greatly. Businesses and corporations can be so focused on productivity, quality and the bottom line that they negate their best asset: the human essence of their employees."
About Indie Books International
Indie Books International (www.indiebooksintl.com) was founded in 2014 in Oceanside, California by two bestselling business authors.
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SOURCE Kimberly Layne
