In this edition of the\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Leadership That Works Newsletter:<\/strong> Protect your team against \u2018anti-mattering,\u2019 practice \u2018loud living,\u2019 keep the \u2018human\u2019 in \u2018human resources,\u2019 how to be heard in a noisy world, employee engagement by the numbers, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n As always,\u00a0<\/em>we\u2019re sharing the content from our Leadership That Works<\/em> newsletter here on our blog. If you find these links enriching, you can sign up to receive our newsletter right\u00a0here<\/strong>.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n In\u00a0this new blog recap\u00a0<\/a>of a conversation between Dan Pink, author of multiple bestselling books, and Doug Conant, Founder of ConantLeadership,\u00a0the two experts share evidence-based ways to plan your day for maximum impact. They say it\u2019s best to tackle tasks with intention rather than taking things as they come in a reactive mode. Here are three takeaways. Professionals take breaks. Amateurs don\u2019t<\/strong>. It may feel counterintuitive but the most effective leaders learn to regard breaks \u201cas part of our performance, not a deviation\u201d from it. Evidence shows that being smart about taking restorative pauses is an indicator of high performance: \u201cProfessionals take breaks, and it\u2019s the amateurs that don\u2019t.\u201d Get the full story\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n \u201cWhen employees feel insignificant, motivation suffers, engagement stagnates and well-being declines,\u201d writes Zach Mercurio in\u00a0this excerpt from his new book,\u00a0The Power of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance<\/em>.<\/a>\u00a0Psychologists have a name for this hollowing feeling of insignificance, \u201canti-mattering,\u201d and Mercurio says, \u201cit can be one of the most insidious forces in an organization.\u201d He says leaders can protect their team against the negative effects of anti-mattering by recognizing the \u201cfive major experiences\u201d that cause it. Here are three.<\/span><\/p>\n Feeling unseen<\/strong>.\u00a0\u201cTo be seen is to be\u00a0noticed<\/em>, to have our presence, our experiences, and the ebbs, flows, and details of our lives acknowledged by others.\u201d Feeling unseen however, \u201cis to be lost,\u201d often due to unintentional \u201cacts of social ignorance\u201d e.g., \u201cforgetting someone\u2019s name or how to pronounce it, not making eye contact, not asking for a colleague\u2019s unique perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n Feeling unheard.<\/strong> \u201cWhen someone\u2019s voice is dismissed, discounted or devalued, they\u00a0feel\u00a0dismissed, discounted and devalued.\u201d Ways we make each other feel unheard include, \u201cdismissing someone\u2019s ideas, not responding, not asking for their opinion, not following up on feedback,\u201d and more.<\/p>\n Feeling dispensable<\/strong>. \u201cFeeling needed is essential for feeling that we matter.\u00a0Yet, too often, our organizations make people feel replaceable or like disposable resources . . .\u00a0 Don\u2019t be surprised when people who feel replaceable start behaving that way. If people see themselves as just a resource, they will act like it.\u201d<\/p>\n Get the full story, including all five experiences that lead to \u201canti-mattering,\u201d and practical advice for addressing each one,\u00a0here<\/a>. In the early days of the pandemic, as workers had to reimagine their lives to adapt to lockdowns and global volatility, many realized they had developed an unhealthy relationship to their jobs\u2014<\/span>often prioritizing productivity at all costs, even if it meant sacrificing their own wellbeing. People started to dial back their overwork, a phenomenon which earned the popular misnomer \u201cquiet quitting,\u201d although it didn\u2019t refer to actual resignation, but rather to employees and leaders setting more boundaries around overcommitting themselves, as a protection against burnout.<\/p>\n In\u00a0this\u00a0Fast Company<\/em>\u00a0piece<\/span><\/a>, BeeKyn Founder, Alli Kushner, reflects on her own journey to \u201credefine workplace boundaries.\u201d In her twenties, like many young professionals, she \u201cwore burnout like a badge of honor,\u201d and believed that \u201ctime, health, and relationships\u201d were all secondary to career success. Now, after becoming a parent, she\u2019s realized \u201cpowering through was not just hard, but unsustainable,\u201d and started making \u201csmall changes like declining late meetings, muting notifications after 6PM, and blocking Friday afternoons for deep work.\u201d<\/p>\n While \u201cquiet quitting\u201d often refers to making these kinds of adjustments subtly and without fanfare, Kushner found great value in doing the opposite: \u201cI got louder about what I needed. I told colleagues I was logging off,\u201d pushed back on unrealistic timelines, and \u201cstopped padding\u201d boundaries with a cascade of apologies. A counterbalance to quiet quitting, she calls this \u201cloud living,\u201d an approach which, \u201cisn\u2019t about doing less,\u201d rather, \u201cit\u2019s about showing up better, with focus and clarity. It isn\u2019t about less ambition, but ambition that doesn\u2019t cost you everything else.\u201d More than anything, loud living is about \u201ctreating boundaries as a performance tool, not a privilege.\u201d Get the full story, including Kushner\u2019s six step approach to pursuing loud living\u00a0here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n **For more on this,\u00a0explore our Founder, Doug Conant\u2019s, reflection on his own pandemic journey<\/a>, where he rediscovered how to \u201cfill his cup\u201d to make work feel joyful and fulfilling again.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n As AI becomes a ubiquitous tool in workplaces across the globe, many leaders find themselves managing the tension between the positive impact of the technology and the potential human cost, or what\u00a0the authors of this\u00a0AIHR\u00a0<\/em>piece\u00a0<\/span><\/a>call the \u201cdark side\u201d of AI, \u201cspecifically related to the potential impact on jobs and the work itself becoming less meaningful, less personal, and less human.\u201d The authors say that the HR function is \u201cuniquely positioned to play a critical role in how AI is adopted in organizations,\u201d because they \u201chold the mandate to align technology with people.\u201d To preserve the \u2018human\u2019 aspect of human resources, HR leaders must \u201cdrive the implementation of AI solutions,\u201d while also \u201csafeguarding employee experience, trust, and inclusion.\u201d This is a delicate needle to thread and leaders should be diligent \u201cin ensuring that innovation serves people, not the other way around.\u201d The authors say the key is making \u201chuman-centered work a strategic priority,\u201d which involves embedding \u201cfive key principles within all HR activities.\u201d Here are two.<\/p>\n Redefine the value of work<\/strong>.<\/span>\u00a0\u201cAI can help eliminate low-value tasks. HR should use this opportunity to elevate roles focused on creativity, empathy, and collaboration, the parts of work that technology cannot replicate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Create guiding principles for ethical AI use<\/strong>.\u00a0\u201cEstablish internal policies that prioritize consent, transparency, and data dignity. Data dignity means treating people\u2019s data with the same respect as the individuals themselves, ensuring they have visibility, control, and fair benefit from how their data is used.\u201d<\/p>\n Overall, HR leaders should remember: \u201cThe future of HR and work is more human, not less.\u201d Get the full story\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n **For more on this, explore our limited series from last year,\u00a0EQ Answers to AI Questions<\/a>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s be honest\u2014grabbing attention these days feels like shouting in a crowded room. With AI, TikTok and a million other things competing for eyeballs, it\u2019s no wonder communicators are looking for new ways to stand out,\u201d say the authors of\u00a0this\u00a0PRsay<\/em>\u00a0recap of a recent webinar on the topic of \u201ccutting through the noise\u201d<\/a>\u00a0to get your message heard. The topline takeaway, which has been increasingly true since the advent of the social media era, is: \u201cAttention is the new currency,\u201d and, \u201cthere\u2019s just not enough to go around\u201d in a crowded landscape being dominated by new platforms that, \u201care changing how people find and consume information.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n If you want your voice to rise above the digital din, consider this A-C-T framework for communicators: \u201cAttention, Curiosity, Trust.\u201d It works like this: \u201cFirst, you catch their eye, then you spark curiosity, and only then do you earn trust.\u201d And, since our brains are hardwired to avoid boredom and confusion, make sure you\u2019re fulfilling the Attention part of the equation through \u201cclarity and storytelling.\u201d The authors note that \u201cemotionally charged content connects faster and deeper,\u201d so don\u2019t hesitate to get personal. Also remember, \u201cthought leadership is more than a buzzword,\u201d it\u2019s a powerful process for \u201cturning experts into visible authorities.\u201d The best way to get your brand\u2019s message across is to push subject matter experts (SMEs) in your organization to \u201cstep out of their comfort zones and share real, first-person stories,\u201d because that\u2019s how to \u201cspark real conversations, and make an impact.\u201d Get the full story\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n **For more on engaging employees, explore our suite of free resources<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on how to practice \u201cleadership that works\u201d for today and tomorrow.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAs a former cabinet secretary<\/span>\u00a0of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and CEO of Procter & Gamble, Bob McDonald is one of a handful of leaders who has excelled in both the public and private sectors,\u201d reads the introduction\u00a0to this interview where McDonald reflects on his life in leadership<\/a>. He shares that one of his biggest challenges was earning trust at the VA where \u201cveteran trust in the organization\u201d was down to 47 percent when he took over. The prevailing attitude, he observed, was one \u201cof learned helplessness and a very hierarchical military culture.\u00a0<\/span>Everybody called each other by their last name, not their first,\u201d and \u201cgood news traveled up to leaders very quickly, but bad news didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n McDonald knew he needed to meet people where they were to earn buy-in for his leadership at the VA. He shares: \u201cOne of the first things I did was to start a campaign, \u2018Call Me Bob\u2014rather than call me \u2018Secretary\u2019 . . . because first names lead to a relationship,\u201d which, \u201cleads to intimacy, intimacy leads to trust, and trust is what makes the company very, very efficient.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Taking his campaign to earn trust a step further, McDonald took additional measures to bring his public persona down to earth: \u201c<\/span>I got rid of the \u2018body man,\u2019 who is somebody who follows you around and carries your phone. I removed the trappings of formality that prohibited me from knowing what was going on,\u201d and he committed to talking to people face-to-face, traveling all over the country to hold town hall meetings \u201cwith veteran constituents, employees, and local government.\u201d Gradually, as McDonald implemented what he calls \u201chuman-centered design across the organization,\u201d he earned stakeholder trust and the VA started to function at a much higher level. Get the full story\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n **For more from Bob McDonald,\u00a0<\/span>explore the Purpose chapter in\u00a0The Blueprint\u00a0<\/span><\/a>where we profile McDonald\u2019s path to purpose-driven leadership at Procter & Gamble.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cStories shape our histories and our sense of ourselves,\u201d and \u201cit\u2019s important in telling our stories, that we are clear-eyed about our\u00a0intention\u00a0and who the\u00a0audience\u00a0is,\u201d\u00a0writes Kate Bennis\u00a0in this edition of her\u00a0SWAY\u00a0<\/em>newsletter<\/a>. As leaders telling the story of who you are, what you believe, how you want to show up, or what your company does and why, it\u2019s essential to think about the intentions behind your storytelling, or as Bennis defines it, \u201cthe verbs that animate our words.\u201d For example, she prompts, are you telling a particular story, \u201cto build trust,\u201d or, \u201cto show off,\u201d or perhaps to \u201cillustrate,\u201d or \u201cinclude,\u201d or \u201centertain?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n To connect more deeply with the intention behind your words, Bennis says to consider the difference between \u201chigh and low intentions.\u201d High intentions are focused on others, the recipient(s) of our words, whereas low intentions are self-centered\u2014\u201dthey are about us, the speaker.\u201d Before we jump into sharing a story, it is wise to stop and think carefully about the intention. If the goal is solely \u201cto impress,\u201d or only to \u201cmake the sale,\u201d it might be too \u201clow\u201d to pursue; in this case, it\u2019s helpful to think about how to give the communication a higher intention, such as being helpful or sharing a relatable experience to deepen connection. Get the full story\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Executive assistants are great at supporting other leaders. But they often don\u2019t know how\u2014or are not encouraged\u2014to tap into their OWN unique leadership ability. In this groundbreaking virtual course taught by Fortune 500 CEO, Doug Conant, learn the same\u00a0BLUEPRINT leadership development<\/a>\u00a0process we teach to C-Suite leaders and executives, customized especially for Administrative Professionals.<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ll leave with your own Leadership Model, practices for being more effective in work and life, and the tools to harness your unique skills to spread your influence. In\u00a0Doug Conant\u2019s conversation with Deanna Mulligan<\/a>, CEO of Purposeful and former chair and CEO of Guardian Life Insurance,<\/span>\u00a0both leaders impart their practical advice for making meaning, anchoring yourself in purpose, and placing people at the center of your leadership approach.<\/p>\n In\u00a0Doug Conant\u2019s conversation with Amanda Poole, Chief People Officer at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS)<\/a>,<\/span>\u00a0both leaders share tips for creating workplace cultures that inspire people and drive innovation.<\/p>\n In\u00a0this recent interview in\u00a0LEADERS Magazine<\/em><\/span><\/a>, Doug Conant shares insights from a career as a turnaround CEO: \u201cIn my experience, building trust is the only way to create an enduring enterprise and lasting value.\u201d He says a good place to start \u201cis by getting just one step closer to people than you have in the past. Be present with others and listen. Try to do just a little bit better tomorrow than you did today.\u201d Read the full interview\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n In\u00a0last month\u2019s newsletter<\/a><\/span>:<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>Common misconceptions about psychological safety, a survival guide for American business, how to remain steady in a wobbly world, learning the \u2018Godzilla Methodology,\u2019 and\u00a0more<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n (Header photo by Jakub \u017berdzicki<\/a> on Unsplash)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Capacity fluctuates<\/strong>. Pink\u2019s research shows what many leaders may have naturally sensed, that \u201cour brainpower doesn\u2019t remain constant over the course of the day,\u201d and it\u2019s wise to plan our to-do lists around our \u201cdaily high point\u201d and our \u201cdaily low point.\u201d Reconfiguring our schedules to align with our natural rhythms helps us perform at our best.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nProtect Your Team Against \u2018Anti-Mattering\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n
**For more on this,\u00a0explore our recent resource which explains how leaders can make work feel more meaningful for people every day.<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\nT<\/span>he \u2018Quiet Quitting\u2019 Era Is Over. Now, It\u2019s about \u2018Loud Living.\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n
Keeping the \u2018Human\u2019 in Human Resources in the Age of AI<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n
How to B<\/span>e Heard in a Noisy World<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n
Employee Engagement By the Numbers<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n
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Remove the \u2018Trappings of Formality\u2019 to Build Trust<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n
\u2018High\u2019 versus \u2018Low\u2019 Intentions<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n
New from ConantLeadership<\/em><\/a><\/h3>\n
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STEP\u00a0into Your Power with Our\u00a0New Leadership Course for Executive Assistants<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n
>>Get on the waitlist to be the first to know when the course launches this fall<\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\u2018Great Leaders Make Meaning\u2019\u20142<\/span>\u00a0Purpose-Driven CEOs on \u2018People First\u2019 Leadership<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n
\u2018Be the Keeper of the Flame\u2019\u2014How to Create Inspiring Workplace Cultures<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n
Doug Conant I<\/span>n\u00a0LEADERS Magazine<\/span>: \u2018Trust Is Mission Critical\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n
April\u2018s\u00a0Leadership That Work<\/em>s\u00a0Newsletter<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n
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About the Author:\u00a0<\/strong>Amy Federman<\/a>\u00a0is ConantLeadership\u2019s Director of Content and Editor in Chief, and co-author with Doug Conant of the WSJ bestseller,\u00a0The Blueprint<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n