What kind of leader am I?
What am I supposed to do?
Is there a way through this?
There is always a way when everything is on the table.
Sometimes that means letting go of what you think is true and creating space for someone else to step up.
Relinquishing control is scary on a good day – and it's even scarier when distrust is at an all-time high across the board.
But, rebuilding trust is key to unlocking flow for you and your team. Getting into a flow state is only possible when your people are entrusted with autonomy and ownership.
As the Flow Research Collective says, the power of flow allows you to "get more done in less time with greater ease and accomplish your boldest professional goals faster."
Our CEO Joe Mechlinski joined Rian Doris on the Flow Research Collective Radio podcast to explore the leadership strategies needed to create a high-flow workplace environment that can withstand difficult times.
Catch this video snippet to get a taste before listening to the full conversation via Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Make Employee Surveys Worth Everyone's Time
Ask yourself... How many hours have you poured into creating, launching, and analyzing an employee survey only to end up with biased data or minimal insights?
It's a painfully frustrating experience.
According to our Head of Product, people don't realize that "you can kill a good question by asking it the wrong way."
To master the art of employee surveys, you have to know when, why, and how to use a 5-point, 7-point, and 10-point survey scale. The right survey scale combined with the right questions will get you the unbiased and actionable data you're looking for.
Turn Blind Spots Into Points of Clarity
In the same way that our tech platform (called Latch) helps our clients, Latch also gives our SHIFT team a mirror into our company culture.
Recently, the AI-powered data from our team's usage showed that the top two behaviors are INITIATIVE and INSECURITY.
From a leadership perspective, the "initiative" behavior was validating, but the "insecurity" behavior was confusing. We wanted to dig deeper...
This type of behavioral and emotional analysis is possible through natural language processing (NLP), analyzing the words used by SHIFTers in their own Reflect and Act responses within Latch. It's designed to identify areas of curiosity – and that's exactly what it did.
By unpacking our Latch data further, it became obvious to our executive team that the insecurity was related to our retrospective anxiety. The team was reflecting on insecurity felt during the building of our Latch platform as there were times we weren't sure if we could deliver the final product on time.
This realization sparked a meaningful team conversation about how insecurity is/has shown up in our lives. It's natural to feel insecure as we endeavor to do new things, and the fact that this insecurity was paired with initiative and excitement shows the full breadth of our team's experience.
The reality is that we all have blind spots, especially when it comes to how our teams are thinking and feeling. It requires a new approach to discover the real pulse of a digital-first culture, and only then can leaders be more intentional and directed in how they take action.
What blind spots are coming into focus for you?
Fast Facts and Inspiration
🎬 VIDEO – "Welcome to 'Wre-lationships'"
This 3-minute video clip explores how Hulu's Welcome to Wrexham show offers lessons to help you be a better leader at work.
📊 REPORT – "Boosting the Employee Experience a Key Opportunity as CEOs Drive Growth in Unsteady Economic Times"
66% of 1,681 chief executives (polled across 96 countries and 47 industries) see talent shortages as their biggest challenge in the year ahead – above inflation issues (48%).
📚 POEM – "The Invitation" by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
Our Managing Partner Andrew Freedman shared how this poem guides his way of thinking and living. No one who reads these words will remain unchanged.
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