Mike Krzyzewski ("Coach K") would agree that he was clueless about the power of connection--until his "Aha!" moment with his wife and three daughters around the family dinner table. That's quite a statement from Duke University's head basketball coach with 1,018 career wins, the most in NCAA history.
According to the authors, Coach K transformed his coaching style by watching his wife, Mickie, and the women in his family reconnect at the end of each day. "He also observed how attuned they were to how people felt--their intuition was like radar. Time and again Mickie could sense when something was bothering one of Coach K's players."
So Coach K recruited his wife and daughters. "The Krzyzewski women became, in military terms, a reconnaissance team to sense the state of relationships, emotions, connection, community, and unity among the team. The boys became extended members of their family--the women gave the players hugs (which boost the trust hormone oxytocin). As Coach K became more intentional about developing the feeling of connection among the team, it produced superior results."
Did I mention he's led Duke to five NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championships, including 2015?
Don't skip this one! Authors Michael Lee Stallard, Jason Pankau, and Katharine P. Stallard deliver well-researched and reasoned insights in their highly readable new book, "Connection Culture"--just 93 pages, not counting 25 more pages of robust resources, such as the descriptions of 24 character strengths developed by the VIA Institute on Character (my two favorite: hope and humor).
The big idea--there are three types of culture:
* a culture of control (top-down and stifling)
* a culture of indifference (cog-in-machine mentality, power/money-focused)
* a connection culture (the best of task excellence and relationship excellence)
The authors build a very compelling case by noting Gallup's employee engagement research that "70 to 74 percent of American workers are not engaged in their jobs." They add, "This may sound bleak, but you should consider it to be a major opportunity."
"Connection Culture" has the perfect dose of inspirational can-do examples along with feisty elbow-in-the-ribs warnings. Consider:
* Dr. Herbert Pardes, former president and CEO of New York-Presbyterian Hospital led by example when "to extend the feeling of connection, he encouraged staff members to memorize the names of patients and their family members."
* Alan Mulally, former CEO of Boeing and Ford, "distributed wallet-size cards with Ford's business plan on one side and 16 expected behaviors (values), including `work together effectively as one team,' on the other. In meetings, he acted as a facilitator and coach rather than a dictator, prohibiting humor made at the expense of others."
* Texas Christian University established the TCU Center for Connection Culture in 2014. Chancellor Victor Boschini, in order to stay connected with students, "teaches a freshman seminar in education. And he not only knows every student's name, but also what is going on in their lives."
Sailboat or Cruise Ship?
* The London church that launched Alpha, a no-pressure course exploring the Christian faith (now taught in 169 countries in 112 languages), described themselves as "a sailboat where everyone on board had an active role to play, versus a cruise ship where passengers were served but never served others." Holy Trinity Brompton's core values, "including excellence, serving others, friendliness, and fun, serve to bring about feelings of connection."
* Nicky Gumbel, Holy Trinity's vicar, says they "aim for perfection but settle for excellence."
Increasingly for me, the mark of a significant book lies in the author's ability to transform a complex concept into a memorable and repeatable phrase. This book succeeds!
Vision. Value. Voice.
Page 25 summarizes "A Culture of Connection." The authors write, "Committed members and servant leaders develop task excellence and relationship excellence that includes vision, value, and voice. As a result, people feel connected, are more productive and energetic, give their best efforts, align their efforts with organizational objectives, and fully communicate and cooperate. This leads the organization to achieve sustainable superior performance."
That preaches--and I predict the 3-V's outline will be shared at hundreds, if not thousands, of weekly staff meetings in the years ahead. It's powerful and it's perfect: VISION. VALUE. VOICE.
The authors list 15 building blocks (three each for vision, value, and voice) that are practical and motivational. Their fresh approach, with examples, is not the usual warmed-over stuff. Example: when is the last time you benchmarked your mission statement against its relevance to a connection culture?
Confession: I read Chapter 5 first. "Taking Action" is a practical color commentary for vision, value, and voice and the chapter inspired me to read and underline almost every page in this short book. I have quoted from the book constantly this last month (yup--even on vacation!).
One more note: I'm helping a client on a core values process and this book came just in the nick of time! At our next meeting, we'll look at Google's multi-year study of top-rated managers, "Project Oxygen," noted in the book. "Be a good communicator and listen to your team," was one of eight leadership behaviors identified. My favorite: "Don't be a sissy: Be productive and results-oriented!"
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There is a newer edition of this item:
Connection Culture, 2nd Edition: The Competitive Advantage of Shared Identity, Empathy, and Understanding at Work
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Reviews with images
A must read for any organization looking to improve employee engagement
This is an excellent book! It is a wonderfully concise and easy to read reminder of how important connections are in our lives and the lives of those we lead. Supported by research M. Stallard sets the framework for building a connected culture within organizations. This is a book you will want to underline, highlight, dog-ear, and annotate extensively due to the many great tidbits, reminders, and aha moments throughout the book.
Top reviews from other countries
Daniel OSPINA
This book is basically a branding excercise for the author ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2017
