Connected, “People-first” leadership should be the easiest thing in the world. Sadly, decades of outdated “leave your emotions at the door” beliefs about managing and “being professional” result in far too many people struggling to connect authentically at work.
It’s exactly how going to work every day can easily turn into a hellish chore.
We’re so habituated to stress and exhaustion that we take it for granted. It can get to the point where we feel like something’s wrong in those brief periods where we aren’t experiencing nonstop busyness. It’s as if we’re addicted to stress.
The cost? Lower productivity, higher turnover, more stress, lost sleep… you get the picture.
We’re making ourselves and the people around us more stressed and disengaged than ever before. We’re making things so much harder than they need to be, but are too close to (and too used to) the problem to see what the core issue is to begin with.