Overcome common obstacles

- I'll tell you a secret all great connectors know. It's all about intention. So many leaders fail to connect with other people at work. It's why many organizations have cultures that are so disconnecting. There's a couple obstacles many leaders don't see. If you're not aware of these, you won't be able to avoid them. The first is the knowing-doing gap. The second is recognizing where you fall on the spectrum of connection and disconnection. The knowing-doing gap is a term coined by Stanford University professors Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton. They found that common sense is uncommon in practice. They also found leaders get caught up in trying management fads, valuing impressive sounding terms and overly complex models, failing to explain rationale and philosophy behind actions, and failing to measure to see that actions get done. For example, leaders know that having frontline workers who are responsive to customers is important to build customer satisfaction and repeat business. They assume frontline workers are being responsive when, in fact, many are not. When it comes to creating and maintaining a connection culture, you can avoid the knowing-doing gap by taking the following actions. Invest the time to make sure people understand the philosophy and rationale supporting connection culture. Implement practices for each of the elements of vision, value, and voice that may appear to you to be common sense but, in actuality, are not getting done. Measure connection in every subculture of your organization to identify the leaders who are strong at cultivating connection and which leaders need help. Another common obstacle, and it's related to the knowing-doing gap, is recognizing where you fall on the spectrum of connection and disconnection. There are three types of people when it comes to connection. The first is the intentional connector. Their influence enhances the performance of their organizations and the lives of the people they serve, including their colleagues and customers. Now, the second type is the opposite, the intentional disconnector. Psychologists describe these individuals as members of the dark triad: psychopaths, narcissists, and Machiavellians. They lack empathy and aren't able to attune to other's emotions. They're focused on themselves and don't value other people. Although they often learn to manipulate others for a while and can appear charming, over time, people see through them and discover that they can't connect. Fortunately, they're only about 1% of the general population. Most of us fall into a third category, the unintentional disconnector. We may want to connect effectively with others, but we have blind spots that hold us back, such as interrupting people to make our own point or being a know-it-all, a gossip, or a people pleaser who doesn't speak honestly when sharing the truth would be uncomfortable. If we don't identify and deal with habits that hinder connection, they will become part of our character and more difficult to change. If, however, we are intentional about seeking the feedback, encouragement and accountability of others and working to develop new and better habits of connection, we join the ranks of intentional connectors. I encourage you to seek out a mentor and coach who you can work with on this. Is your organization developing intentional connectors and avoiding the knowing-doing gap? If not, what actions can you take so that you can become an intentional connector?