Your monthly SHIFT – November 2024

In this issue of Your Monthly SHIFT, we cover topics of greater importance to building better workplaces than ever before: Women’s Health Benefits, The Modern Leader, and Threading the Needle: Effectively Navigating in a Polarized World.

If you like what you read here, please forward a copy to a family member, friend or colleague. I’m keenly interested in expanding our community of thinkers, observers, debaters and discussionists (yes, I just made up that word).

Also, drop me a line if there is a topic you want to read more about!

While there has been (and it’s about time!) an increased profile given to considering women’s health in the workplace, there is now new evidence that clearly links this focus with concrete and positive results.

A new report from the Integrated Benefit Institute – a national nonprofit research organization – based out of the U.S.,found health-related programs maximized the contributions of people to productivity and business performance. Specifically, it found that women’s use of health benefits could influence outcomes such as attendance, retention and productivity.

Here are a few highlights:

• Mental health benefits,followed by reproductive health services and maternity care all helped reduce absences for women at work.
• 89% of women said benefits positively influence overall workplace satisfaction
• 85% said benefits play a crucial role in attracting and retaining talent

Though it should be well known enhanced benefits promote employee well-being and productivity, these findings further underscore this fact. Further, they do so with a group of leaders we need to continue supporting until there is equality for women in the workplace.

The report also reinforced that barriers to benefit use remain such as time constraints, scheduling and cost. For organizations interested in addressing these challenges, consider strengthening your communication and education about available benefits to increase awareness and utilization.

As society continues on its path of polarization, organizations and their leadership are struggling with how to address the associated issues that are inevitable outcomes of this trend. Questions abound such as:
“How do we decide what we will speak out on?”

“What if we speak out on this issue but not that issue?”

“We say we’re inclusive, doesn’t that mean we should speak out?

“Will we set a precedent by saying something publicly?”

“Can we convey support for a cause internally but not make a public statement about it?”

The key is to have a framework for your decision making, populated by clear criteria so that you’re not making important, implication-filled decisions on the fly.  An established, clear decision framework is one way of ensuring a consistent response each time this challenge arises.

At the same time, you must build in alignment and communicate your position to the rest of the organization. The goal is to ensure your organization is ready to respond with confidence and conviction.

Here are some additional tips from Karthik Ramanna, Professor of Business & Public Policy at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government:

1. “Turn down the temperature”: Establish an environment conducive to calm discussion.
2. “Make sense of the moment”: Create a listening culture to understand the sources of and catalysts to specific conflicts.
3. “Scope the response”: Evaluate the organization’s capabilities and constraints,including moral responsibilities and pragmatic necessities, and developing a plan of action.

Let’s be honest: the leadership attributes that advanced the careers of so many in the past are not necessarily what is needed today. Against the backdrop of an increasingly complicated workplace environment, now more than ever, leadership evolution is critical.
In a recent article from McKinsey &Company, authors Bob Sternfels, Daniel Pacthod, Kurt Strovink ,and Wyman Howard, highlight six traits required for today’s leaders:

• Positive energy, personal balance, and inspiration
• Servant and selfless leader
• Continuous learning and humble mindset
• Grit and resilience
• Levity
• Stewardship

What do you think of this list? Agree or disagree? Have other ideas you’d like to share?

I’m fortunate that I get to spend time with a fair number of people helping them to communicate more effectively. One avenue for this is during presentations. In a recent workshop I held, I shared 8 steps to make a greater impact with your delivery. Here goes:

Start Strong
Use a question or compelling insight to capture their attention out of the gates

Engage the Audience
Ask questions or involve them (e.g. real time polls)

Slow Down!
Speaking too fast can overwhelm listeners AND Presenters

Praise the Pause
Builds intrigue, helps captivate the audience and allows you to gather your thoughts

Connect Emotionally
Show genuine enthusiasm and passion for your topic; when the audience sees that you care, they are more likely to engage

Handle Interruptions
Make whoever asked feel heard and understood

Read the Room
Pay attention to audience reactions; verbal and non-verbal and adjust accordingly

Bodies Speak
Maintain good posture and make eye contact; use purposeful gestures and movements

Building better workplaces by strengthening cultures, leadership, communication, and strategy.

Empowering People Leaders

5 Actions for Employee Engagement

Boosting employee engagement starts with intentional actions that foster connection and growth. In this video, I share five key steps to create a thriving workplace.

To watch more videos from my channel visit this link