Let's redefine the Executive - the connection to work.

The month I've been an active participant in a panel discussion about the importance of quitting at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. Workforces are changing fast It is clear that leaders, like us engage in a variety of the right questions: what are the advantages and disadvantages of working remotely the risks and opportunities which are posed by AI as well as the need to create an environment comfortable and sustainably.

However, one issue deserves more attention In the event that our workforce is changing technologically the way we conduct business, post-pandemic behaviours as well as expectations changing...don't we as leaders need to evolve too?

There is an entire Generation of Digital Natives who are preparing to enter the working world. They have grown up making and sharing videos , not sending texts, calls or sending texts. They consider TikTok or YouTube their primary source of information. Their personal lives are active and extremely connected.

However, in their professional lives however, the story differs. The current situation is characterized by massive reductions in employee engagement and satisfaction among the remote Gen Z and younger millennials. Just 4 percent of the young people who work at home or work in hybrid environments are aware of the expectations required of them in the workplace More than 50% are Gen Z employees are ambivalent or don't feel engaged at job. If we look at employee engagement as a leading measure of workforce efficiency, this is a huge issue for each company and for every company's financial performance.

What is causing this disconnect? In work as well as in life, we all want to belong to the larger entity that is bigger than we are. It is our natural desire for belonging, the sense of belonging that is genuine, transparent, as well as genuine. Yet the more our workforce is digitally dispersed and AI-connected as a result, it becomes more challenging it becomes to feel a sense of connection every day. In particular, if we haven't redesigned how we communicate in order to adapt to the new generation. We still ask our employees to read a variety of documents, write long emails and take part in boring gatherings. We are informed about layoffs along with corporate goals by means of communications that seem so automated and scripted that they can be created through ChatGPT. We as executives' only knowledge have on this is via generic surveys about engagement or live events that have low tune-in and high drop-off rates. We also have the occasional snarky chats or Q&A.

The old model of management is not effective for us. We need to alter the way we , as leaders behave and interact with employees. Just as we are focused in enhancing the capabilities of our employees with regard to changing populations, demographic and technological advancements and trends, we should also enhance our leadership capabilities to be able to create trust and connections across the board.

I've been trying many of these over these past few years . Here are the skills I've been learning and applying that I think will enable us to be more in the moment and more efficiently lead:

     1. Realize who you are, and become who you are.

At the time of there was a outbreak, I hosted the world's biggest town hall at my parents' home at Flint, Michigan -- exhausted and sleeping in my pajamas made of velour, with my son, who is still a toddler and my grandmother moving through the background.

It could be the most efficient communication of all time.

Why? because it was not scripted, fragile, or chaotic. We are drawn by "us against them" dynamics when we work in a company, especially in times of stress or difficulties. It's easy to imagine "leadership" as an unnamed and faceless machine. Focusing on visuals and videos communication is a powerful method to counter this. It removes the mask and protection of spoken and edited comms. The most effective way to overcome this issue is to look like the person you are.

By the way, there are a number of situations where leaders are insecure which ended up backfiring...but I'm guessing that, in the vast majority of these instances, the issue was that the leader was performing far too often. It's crucial to be able for that portion of you to be a failure when you are in front of your peers. We all have flaws that make human beings. Everyone wants to see our leaders to be bold. This only encourages us to follow their example more.

     2. Begin by asking "why . "

Much like many managers have had to make difficult choices over the course of the past year. From layoffs and executive changes to the organization reorganization and closing of programs to improve efficiency. My role is to make those difficult choices that are not popular and implement swiftly across the company.

With a rise in situations, employees desire transparency behind these decision-making processes, not just"the "what" but in addition, more importantly, the "why". It's important to know the larger environment of the market, or competition and the manner that trade-offs are evaluated and balanced, as well as the details of the people who were in the loop as well as the time.

A typical comms approach would say that when there is an important communication issue with limited time begin by asking the "what" before getting to the point and needed steps. However, I've been better at getting people to accept a tough choice when I view my staff as important people who need to be aware of the context.

So, starting with "why" is a first guideline for communications at all levels . Of course , there are limitations to fully transparency (legal and PR, governance, customer risk) but I've noticed that, in the vast majority of situations, the barriers can be described as. Perceived. Public opinion may not always support your decision-making However, you can argue that if they don't it, you're not performing your duties. However, they'll appreciate and accept your choices by focusing on your reasons for them.

     3. Spend money on in-person meetings or in-person meetings, and make it individual.

Yes, I recognize the irony of the chief executive of a video-related business saying this. One of my most memorable experience of the last few months was the fact that we the wrong mindset and weren't sufficiently aware of our teams together on the ground.

The month of January, just one week after the announcement of layoffs, our company held an event to celebrate our business in NYC. We flew in employees from over a dozen nations. The employees we had were located in Ukraine that traveled via airplanes, trains and cars to get there. We opted to not use the usual event party confetti, opting for a less formal look, and an affordable budget. It was one of the most motivating and important investment decisions I've ever put into.

This becomes much more efficient when, as leaders, you hop on a plane and meet your team in the place they're. I am a geographically dispersed executive team, spread over eight different locations starting from Seattle up to Switzerland. The majority of us were recruited in the last year and are still new, and just beginning to gel as a unit. In order to speed up the process of forming a cohesive team, we started offsites with each leader's home city. We hung out with our CFO's mom around her fire pit in Vermont. The Head of Sales donned his apron. He made us frittatas for breakfast. The working sessions took place at our Chef of Product's table.

The outbreak gave us an unintentional glimpse into of our homes as well as personal life. If we are able to take advantage that and integrate the idea into our daily lives and work, we can get the opportunity to form stronger, better connected, and effective teams.

     4. The transition from "lean back" to "lean forward" experiences.

A crucial communication skill is the ability to create "lean forward" experiences instead of "lean back" broadcasts. Human focus spans are shrinking (now lower than eight seconds that's less than the length of a goldfish!). Yet we still communicate primarily by one-to-many communications, either through an email you read or a lengthy town hall that you relax and take in.

As we look at this, we can see the tax on engagement reflected in our own data which shows that the typical time for completing a session watching videos has decreased in the last few years. If we don't change our approach, the habit of letting people tune out will seriously hinder our capacity to ensure that our teams are aligned and productive.

It is crucial shifting our mindset and embracing new aspects. We have a new generation working in the workplace who have a head start on us with their capacity to think creatively as well as capture authentic deep, detailed information. They're ahead of us due to their being without the restrictions our generation experienced for decades with traditional communications methods working.

The belief is that employees don't quit their jobs; they quit managers. In reality, executives are among the most efficient managers and as per the results of an survey of 113,000 top executives, the most important key for effective leadership is confidence. The leaders we lead must learn to conduct ourselves with more genuine, interesting, and trustworthy methods. I'm betting on leaders who accept this exciting new world will be far more adept at managing the coming generation of employees. They'll be better informed and will involve teams spread across the globe as well as align employees for greater efficiency and build strong relationships which result in outstanding results. They'll not communicate, but instead, communicate more effectively.

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