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A firm leader must break out of the deadline cycle and make a meaningful connection with employees. If not, performance will (predictably) suffer. Employee engagement (Part 2)
M ost of what we do today as leaders is not leadership. In a world of urgent deadlines and constant busyness, it can seem necessary to rely on our skills to win quarters and rescue projects, but that’s not the only thing needed. We also need to inspire a “better future” and provide day-to-day opportunities for our teams to help make it a reality. If that seems soft, that’s a problem. It’s why employee engagement is low and performance remains less than it could be.
Peter Atherton GUEST SPEAKER
our relationship management. Emotionally intel- ligent people are more successful and are better leaders. Emotional intelligence is what draws people to like, know, and trust us. Emotionally intelligent people can attract and inspire others up and down the corporate ladder. Interactions with emotionally intelligent people are more relational and less trans- actional – which makes them so much more “We can’t expect positive changes if we don’t initiate them, personally model what they look like, and incentivize what it takes.”
Our strength as leaders today is in our ability to connect and enable others to become their best selves as part of our work, not in affirming our positions and showcasing skill sets that only perpetuate our current cycle. For things to change we, as leaders, need to “see more” and “do differently.” ❚ ❚ Raising awareness. First, we must recognize that there’s a problem when more than two-thirds of em- ployees are routinely disengaged, and burnout and career pivoting is on the rise. Leaders have the most prominent role in solving this, but are often too con- sumed and not aware enough to do so. Emotional intelligence is a measure of our self- awareness, self-management, social-awareness, and
See PETER ATHERTON, page 12
THE ZWEIG LETTER March 4, 2019, ISSUE 1286
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