Relationships at Work - The Leadership Guide to Building Workplace Connections and Avoiding Blind Spots.
Relationships at Work - your leadership guide to building workplace connections and avoiding blind spots.
A relatable and honest show on leadership, organizational culture and soft skills, focusing on improving employee engagement and company culture to inspire people to apply, stay and thrive.
Because no one wants leadership that fosters toxic environments at work, nor should they.
Host, speaker and communications leader Russel Lolacher shares his experience and insights, discussing the leadership and corporate culture topics that matter with global experts help us with the success of our organizations (regardless of industry). This show will give you the information, education, strategies and tips you need to avoid leadership blind spots, better connect with all levels of our organization, and develop the necessary soft skills that are essential to every organization.
From leadership development and training to employee satisfaction to diversity, inclusivity, equity and belonging to personalization and engagement... there are so many aspects and opportunities to build great relationships at work
This is THE place to start and nurture our leadership journey and create an amazing workplace.
Relationships at Work - The Leadership Guide to Building Workplace Connections and Avoiding Blind Spots.
What Leaders Believe and Employees Know - A R@W Note
In this episode of Relationships at Work, communications and leadership nerd (and host) Russel Lolacher highlights the gap between leadership assumptions and employee reality.
Numerous surveys have been conducted by SHRM, Deloitte, Forrester showing executives have a very different perception of their organizational culture than those who work for them.
Russel asks the question, "but how do you know?" to challenge those leaders who make assumptions, dismiss data they don't agree with or have far too small of a network to know what's really going on. He also offers ideas on how to embrace employees and the challenges they face.
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For more, go to relationshipsatwork.ca
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Welcome to Relationships At Work – the emerging leader’s guide to create a workplace we love. I’m your host Russel Lolacher
I’m a communications and leadership nerd with a couple of decades of experience and a heap of curiosity on how we can lead and work together to improve the employee experience. This show is a great resource to help us with that.
Every week on the show, I talk with a local or global leader on topics that are help to you to improve the workplace. We’ve tackled so man topics: negativity, culture renovation, plain language, imposter syndrome, diversity, communication, empathy, activism, burnout, mental health, and so many other topics.
And now, as an added bonus, I’ll be sharing an additional episode pulled from the pages of our weekly R@W Note which you can subscribe to.
A quick and valuable bit of information on top of our regular show.
So the R@W Note I’m passing on to you this week, is called…
Yeah, but how do you know?
Opinions come fast and furious in the workplace about the state of the workplace and reasons for successes and failures in employee engagement.
Excuses, disbelief, suggestions... many of us as leaders are quick to come up with reasons for this, that and the other… but how do we know what we think is reality?
How do we know what we think is true? Because there are continued examples of a growing divide between what leaders think vs what employees know.
None more evident then coming out of the pandemic:
A 2022 Deloitte did a survey on executive vs employee perception of leadership:
- 88% of executives think they made great excellent leadership decisions during COVID,
- 53% of workers agreed.
SHRM – Society of Human Resource Management found 72% of executives report their overall organizational culture has improved since the beginning of the pandemic
- 21% of HR and 14% of those surveyed agree.
How about one that’s not specific to the pandemic but still problematic? Forrester survey - 85% of employers believe that they actively listen to the needs of their workers, their employees were at 51%... with 49% of them noting a fear of reprecussions for being open about their mental health at work.
Those are some big divides.
And yet we still hear leaders dispute surveys saying “but that’s not what we’ve “heard”” when the evidence demonstrates what we are hearing isn’t necessarily the truth. Because we might only be listening to what we want to hear.
Love that cognitive bias.
To be good leaders. To build connection at work. We have to be OK knowing we don’t have all the information. And not disputing it because it makes us uncomfortable. Or indicates we have some work to do.
Data may not lie but it can be manipulated in our minds.
Issues can only be addressed if we admit they’re issues – then we can find those opportunities and work for those successes or at least learning.
So what to do?
1. Regular Employee Surveys: Not once a year. Regular. Weekly? Monthly? They don’t have to be long. Do it to gather feedback and insights on the state of employee engagement at work. These surveys can include questions related to motivation, job satisfaction, teamwork, and overall organizational culture. And listen to those results.
2. Open and Transparent Communication: foster that kind of environment so employees feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and concerns. Regular team meetings, one-on-one sessions, and town hall-style gatherings can provide opportunities for employees to share their experiences and voice any challenges they may be facing. Actively listening can provide warning of issues to come.
3. Employee Feedback and Suggestions: actively seek feedback and suggestions from employees on how to improve engagement at work. This can be done through suggestion boxes, anonymous feedback channels, or dedicated brainstorming sessions. By involving employees in the decision-making process and valuing their ideas, leaders can gain valuable insights into the factors that contribute to engagement or disengagement. This can create a sense of ownership and foster a positive work environment.
Leadership doesn’t come from isolation and knowing better. It comes from knowing the true state of the organization we work in to adapt and adjust for the needs of our teams. And we can’t do that if we choose look the other way.
