Literature of Leadership - Connectable
CONNECTABLE: How Leaders Can Move Teams From Isolated to All In. Ryan Jenkins, Steven Van Cohen. (2022, Kindle Edition)
The increase in remote work, the growing importance of inclusion, and the need for better well-being make addressing employee “loneliness” (i.e., absence of connection) a leadership imperative. Research substantiates that employee engagement, performance, collaboration and loyalty all decrease when employees lack connection to teammates, leaders and the organization. As the title suggests, Connectable, which means to “link together”, provides a deep dive into the importance of, and practical strategies for, cultivating stronger links between workers and their team, their work and their leaders.
The authors, Jenkins and Van Cohen, are global leadership speakers and consultants who have helped organizations (both public and private) to strengthen “belonging” across their workforces—whether in-person, remote or hybrid—to better leverage their greatest asset—their people.
Connectable is organized into three parts. Part One focuses on understanding WHAT loneliness is, its modern causes and impact on work and employee well-being. Part Two examines WHY creating belonging is the antidote. Part Three explores practical strategies for HOW to lessen loneliness and boost belonging through the application of the authors’ proprietary four-step Less Loneliness Framework™—which centers on the acronym “LINK”, where each letter represents a step in the process as follows:
LOOK at loneliness---Identify loneliness in self and others.
INVEST in connection---Improve the strength of work relationships.
NARROW the focus---Illuminate what’s most important at work.
KINDLE the moment---Inflame what’s working to sustain progress.
Throughout the eleven chapters, readers discover the “10 Identifiers of Lonely Workers”, and uncover why lonely people often avoid and lack trust in others; why “solitude” is insurance against loneliness; why the mark of a confident, compassionate and admired leader is “interruptibility”; and much more.
This is a well-written, engaging and thought-provoking book with valuable insights for leaders at all levels who care to keep abreast of the latest research, thinking, strategies and resources on creating a healthy workplace environment where employees are engaged and thrive.
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