Measure connection

- Now, some outstanding senior leaders are able to rely on their interactions with people to identify pockets of disconnection throughout the organization, but that's rare and a risky approach for something so important. It takes time, which is limited with all that we have to get done, a commitment to being out and about across levels of the organization, and the emotional intelligence to discern what a person may not be telling you. Most leaders aren't in touch with the levels of engagement and connection of people they lead. They don't recognize there's a problem until they feel the pain of underperformance in the form of poor operating and financial results, high employee turnover, or incidents of managerial failure, such as accidents or product malfunctions. Take the guesswork out and get an accurate read on what employees are experiencing by implementing a culture survey. Let people know the results will be used to provide accountability. Surveys can be designed to pinpoint where the organization's values are being met, where connection cultures, cultures of control and cultures of indifference, are found, and which leaders need help. The culture survey should ask all employees how their team, department, and organization are doing when it comes to acting in ways that are consistent with the organization's values. It's typical to have a mix of subculture types when leaders are not intentional and consistent about developing culture. The culture survey our firm developed, which we referred to as the Connection Culture Inventory, identifies the extent of connection, control, and indifference in each subculture we assess. Assess connection both within and between organizational units. So for example, not just the connection within the sales department, but the connection between sales and marketing, sales and customer service, sales and finance. When interdepartmental connections are broken, it affects employee engagement as well as results. One way to demonstrate the link between behaviors that connect and superior performance results is to integrate culture survey data with operational and financial metrics so you can establish with empirical evidence that greater connection leads to superior performance and results. This hard data gets the attention of critics and encourages them to improve connection. Survey results can identify leaders who are good at creating connection cultures as well as provide an early warning system to help identify leaders and units that have drifted away from connection cultures. In time, a decision may need to be made concerning whether a leader is capable of working within a connection culture. Before replacing a leader too hastily, give them an opportunity to change by providing support through mentoring and coaching. To be most effective, issues that arise from a culture survey must be addressed, or else employees will feel their feedback has not been taken seriously, and they will grow cynical. Conducting culture surveys on an annual basis is a best practice that provides a systematic way to assess connection and hold leaders responsible for creating connection cultures. It sends a clear message that connection culture is important and is not a management fad that leaders decided to try. It underscores the commitment that leaders have to providing an environment in which each individual can thrive.