The Leadership Garden

Is connection the content?

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1885731/fan_mail/new] Overarching Question: Which is more important, content or connection?  Big ideas: * Peter Block -- "Connection is the Content" * content and connection as an infinity loop * different types of connection -- to ideas, to others, and oneself * relationship and communication interact with another * trust cannot be built without connection * delivering content with trust doesn't lead to integration * we relate to content differently when there is time for connection * you can't just throw content at people and expect them to learn * it's hard to measure effectiveness in adult learning * video courses have low completion rates because they miss the social aspect * diverse groups provide perspective shifts that we can't get alone * content can come easily from AI these days * "Leave people changed, not just informed." -- Informed is the content piece, changed is the connection piece * Perspectival knowing -- creating knowing that shifts your perspective * knowledge needs context to be meaningful * reading has become the exception to doomscrolling * reading keeps people engaged in a topic over a long period of time * when you connect with the content you're more engaged and motivated * content in itself is useless without the connection piece * shelf development -- when the knowledge/change stays on the shelf * without trust you can't connect, without connection you can't trust - a feedback loop * If a leader embodies the "connection is the content" idea, what does that mean for them? * connection embedded into all the content * a process doesn't necessarily create the connection * breakout rooms are a structure that facilitate connection  * put people into breakout rooms as they arrive to simulate the slow entering into a live space * content without connection is information * content is embedded in the conversation -- people are a source of content too More yummy content on leaderlearner.fm [https://www.leaderlearner.fm]

Is Listening Over-rated?

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1885731/fan_mail/new] THEME : Is listening overrated? CONVERSATION POINTS: * people think they are better communicators/listeners than they are * listening is a very under-rated skill, and one to keep practicing * knowledge is not opinion * context shifts how we listen to people * everyone deserves the right to be heard, but we don't have to take on board what they have to say * listening without questioning what is true and what is not - practice discernment * we listen through our own lens and biases * What's the balance between listening to someone's opinion and sharing your own? * when we give advice too soon, we may not be solving the right problem * Are there contexts when we shouldn't listen? * laws do not protect all people and do not represent all voices * power dynamics affect people's listening * who "has to" do the listening? * when ego gets in the way of listening? * higher ups need to spend more time listening to the people who actually know -- the experts * when big companies enter into environments against the wishes and values of the citizens * we are all capable of listening, but we don't practice and don't use the skill wisely * the dyanmic of you're not listening to me, so I won't listen to you * our ability to influence to change depends on our listening * listen to ask better questions -- instead of thinking "that doesn't make any sense," ask a question to make sense * train our listening every day  * deep listening to things we don't value is very challenging * the righteousness that goes along with not listening * People not voting based on policy, but on who listens best * The skill of listening is crucial * Listening as a skill that goes out the window when we are emotionally triggered More yummy content on leaderlearner.fm [https://www.leaderlearner.fm]

Does Defiance Have a Place at Work?

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1885731/fan_mail/new] TOPIC: Do you think we should punish defiance in organizations? BIG IDEAS: * defiance appreciated in different cultures - in France it shows you're thinking critically * power dynamics that are at play when talking about defiance * defy and comply isn't a binary * most of us were raised to believe that compliance was good and defiance was bad * defiance can be good when it aligns with our values * consent is when you have the capacity, knowledge * we comply without having the knowledge * false defiance - you go along with something that isn't aligned with your values * conscious compliance -- where we're consciously going with something that's against your values because the risk is too high to comply * there is often a long build up to defiance * recognize the moments when I'm consciously complying * not wanting to be the "complainer" when being harassed - risks too great for career * people from marginalized groups have a great risk when defying * looking to any ally from a more powerful social group to defy for you * saying "no" to people's behavior and setting boundaries * he-peating -- when a man repeats a woman's ideas, and others praise him over her * How should companies deal with defiance?  * getting curious about the defiance -  look at practices and processes that are outdated * look at gaps between personal values and organizational values - how do we reconcile gaps in values * Are values stated, but not practiced?  * people can value the same thing, but how they demonstrate those values can differ * look at the behaviors over the stated values of an organization * emotional, psychological, physical, financial risks when it comes to defiance and compliance * if there is a values misalignment between you and the organization, you choose a principled exit * Is doing values exercises a pointless and dangerous exercise because you will never have alignment? * the word defy has a moral connotation in French * when people take your defiance to a process as a personal attack * How do you defy but still stay loyal to the organization? * it's hard to argue with someone's values * standing on your moral high ground makes the other person wrong  * using your values as a launch pad for your defiance * build around a common need * finding the nuanced way to defy - it doesn't have to be big and bold * when you're at work, you're in a dependent relationship, so there are inherent risks * the difference between protesting and striking  RESOURCES: * Defy by Dr. Sunita Sah * Non Violent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg More yummy content on leaderlearner.fm [https://www.leaderlearner.fm]

Are Gen Z the Me, Me, Me Generation?

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1885731/fan_mail/new] QUESTION: Are Gen Z Me, Me, Me? BIG IDEAS: * Lots of complaints from a team leader around respect for him and org. His belief that his younger team members are overconfident and think they are superior * Do leaders need to prioritize the organization over themselves * Leaders looking for themselves in future leaders (projection) * Generalizations around generations  * We tend to overestimate when people were born, but what they went through and where are they now in their lives that make a difference * What 25-year-old prioritizes the organization over themselves? * Gen Z were hit really hard by Covid, and it defines how we see the world * Perception that Gen Z lacks patience and don't want to put in the work * Dunning Krueger Effect or status quos on timelines? * Learning can happen much faster, but they lack experience * When we judge others for judging, we are judging too * Is it a lack of patience? * Envy and resentment growing -- wish to have the attitude that Gen Z has * Tension between the "new way" and the "old way" * COVID shifted priorities for people, yet companies want to go back to the way things were (working in the office being a top priority) * What does it mean to "go back to normal"? * "That's the way we've always done it," can get in the way of growth * Adapt rather than fight it * Equity of treatment across generations and work preferences * It's not about working 50% versus, it's about working 50% or leaving the company * We only need to love 20% of our work to find meaning in all of our work * Only 14% of people are engaged -- how is that measured?  * Are we asking too much of people for their work? * How much is the perception of engagement valid across generations? * How much show off and show me rose due to the self facing camera? * Over praising leading to overconfidence * Instead of keeping them down, give them the opportunity to safely fail * Seeing the gray area between people's truths RESOURCES MENTIONED: * Podcast || Social Science Bites - Episode on Generational Myths [https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Mod9OJtIUTNykt16FOMmT?si=SIUGPKRQS4yHXQLHcUEilg] * Book || Love + Work by Marcus Buckingham * Book || Think Again by Adam Grant More yummy content on leaderlearner.fm [https://www.leaderlearner.fm]

The Leadership Garden

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1885731/fan_mail/new] TOPIC : If leadership training is dead, how do companies still develope leaders? Big Ideas: * Learning experiences can happen without training * Learning that happens in community can have a bigger impact * Learning happens in a spiral -- you have to come back to it again and in different ways.  * Learning happens across multiple axis across time, not linearly * Leadership learning can happen below the surface before people can see it * Creating a non-threatening environment -- psychological safety * Put something in the community basket * There is no lever for learning - you can just pull and it emerges * Leadership as an emergent property, rather than something that can be directly developed * How does the hierarchical structure of training impeding leadership training? * Focus on the process of learning, rather than the delivering of content and information.  * Practice versus training?  * "Knowledge isn't wisdom. Wisdom in knowledge in action." * Give people a space to activate the information. Everyone sparks at different times.  * Creating self-fulfilling frameworks that can be peer generated after wards * Some models can be reciprocated, but the experience may not be the same * Small moments of connected learning keeps the learning alive - the more exposure to the ideas, the more your Reticular Activation System is activated * How do we assess whether a learning experience is effective? * If leadership training is so great, why do we still have the same number of problems we have? * Does success always mean rising in an organization?  * If everyone can be a leader, how do I choose the next leader? * Managing and leading aren't the same skill set.  * Promoting people who aren't good at their jobs, but are still potential leaders. * Sometimes we are short-sighted about leadership development * Garden metaphor -- plant some seeds, nurture, see what grows, adapt based on what you see More yummy content on leaderlearner.fm [https://www.leaderlearner.fm]