[00:00:10] Hello and welcome back to Reflect Forward. I'm your host, Kerry Siggins, and I'm so glad you are here today.
[00:00:15] So today is part two of our three-part series on a leader's playbook for a radically evolved future.
[00:00:23] And today we're going to talk about the power of the human connection in a tech-driven world.
[00:00:29] As we all know, technology has never been more powerful or pervasive as artificial intelligence, automation, and digital tools revolutionize how we work.
[00:00:40] One might think that humans are going to be less important, but paradoxically, the opposite is true.
[00:00:47] In a world increasingly more complex and more dominated by machines, the most effective leaders will be those who double down on empathy, trust, and authentic relationships.
[00:00:59] On being human.
[00:01:01] In part one, we talked about expanding your mindset to be able to embrace the visionary possibilities of what the future is going to bring.
[00:01:10] This episode is going to focus more on the profound but often overlooked truth that human connection is your most valuable resource.
[00:01:21] That's right.
[00:01:22] Connecting with each other.
[00:01:23] It's all about relationships.
[00:01:26] So how do you do it?
[00:01:27] That is what we're going to dive into today.
[00:01:30] Okay.
[00:01:31] Number one, let's talk about the paradox of technology and why human connection matters more than ever.
[00:01:37] Technology solves all kinds of problems faster than we humans can.
[00:01:41] It enhances efficiency.
[00:01:42] It scales innovation.
[00:01:44] It provides data-driven insights.
[00:01:47] However, it cannot replace the intrinsic human need for belonging, to feel trusted, to trust others, and to have a shared purpose.
[00:01:57] Businesses who only focus on technology while neglecting human relationships risk becoming sterile, transactional, and quite honestly, replaceable.
[00:02:07] Customers and employees and other stakeholders in your business want something more than just a product or service.
[00:02:13] They want to feel seen, heard, valued, and to be part of something meaningful.
[00:02:20] So while technology might solve their problem, they want to be part of a community.
[00:02:25] They want to feel like, oh, this product really understands me or this service is really getting to the heart of the matter or I feel more connected.
[00:02:33] Take Apple, for example.
[00:02:34] Apple is one of the most advanced technologies that we have in the palm of our hand.
[00:02:40] It connects us.
[00:02:42] It feeds us constant information.
[00:02:44] It allows us to do all kinds of things that we never imagined doing two decades ago, even maybe a decade ago.
[00:02:49] But what Apple understands is that it's not just about that technology.
[00:02:53] It is that it is intuitive and it helps people feel more connected and they feel connected to the brand because they carry an Apple phone or Apple Watch or an iPad.
[00:03:04] That is what this is all about, connecting that technology with the human experience.
[00:03:11] So your challenge as a leader in 2025 is to strike that right balance, to harness technology, whether that's in your product or services or within your operation and how you run your business, with keeping humanity at the center of your strategy.
[00:03:26] How you are being empathetic and understanding and building trust with your employees and your customers.
[00:03:33] The second aspect is based on trust.
[00:03:35] As you know, trust is the currency of the modern day workplace.
[00:03:39] You cannot do anything if your employees do not trust you.
[00:03:43] It's going to make for a really crappy culture.
[00:03:46] Trust fosters collaboration.
[00:03:47] It fuels creativity and it strengthens relationships throughout every layer of your organization.
[00:03:53] But as you know, trust is not built overnight.
[00:03:55] It is cultivated through consistent, intentional effort.
[00:04:00] So how do you build trust within your organization?
[00:04:04] Well, first, you have to be radically transparent.
[00:04:05] I am such a believer in radical transparency.
[00:04:09] I've talked about this so many times on this podcast, but you have got to be open about the challenges you're facing as an organization.
[00:04:15] The decisions you make, you need to explain the why.
[00:04:19] What is the rationale behind your decisions?
[00:04:21] Bring people along.
[00:04:23] Let them see that you trust them enough to share valuable information with them.
[00:04:28] Trust thrives on open, honest communication, on being radically transparent.
[00:04:33] Another way to build trust within your organization is to have decentralized ownership.
[00:04:38] Empower your team to take initiative, to make decisions, to have autonomy, to show up and do their very best work.
[00:04:49] No one wants to be micromanaged.
[00:04:51] No one wants to be constantly told what to do.
[00:04:54] Yes, people want guardrails.
[00:04:55] They need to understand what expectations are and what success looks like.
[00:04:58] But then let them do their job in the best way that they know how.
[00:05:03] You have to trust them.
[00:05:04] When people feel trusted, they will rise to the occasion.
[00:05:07] And that's why you need to have decentralized ownership.
[00:05:10] Push decision-making authority to the individual contributor within your team as much as you possibly can.
[00:05:18] And the final aspect that I want to talk today about building trust within your organization is active listening.
[00:05:23] You have to listen to people.
[00:05:25] You need to understand your employees' concerns, goals, ideas, and dreams.
[00:05:31] You need to get to know them.
[00:05:33] And you can't do that if you are not listening.
[00:05:35] And it's not just listening.
[00:05:36] It's active listening.
[00:05:37] It's listening with curiosity, with care, with the goal of getting to know people better, to be able to help them achieve what they want to unleash their potential.
[00:05:49] That is the magic.
[00:05:50] When people know that you're really hearing them and then you act upon what they tell you, you build trust.
[00:05:57] So those are three simple, not always easy, ways to build trust within your organization.
[00:06:02] By creating an environment where trust is the norm, you build a resilient ecosystem that can weather the challenges and seize on opportunities with greater confidence.
[00:06:11] And that then allows you to be able to leverage technology in a much better way.
[00:06:17] When people know that they are trusted, that they are valued, that there is this ecosystem of belonging within the organization.
[00:06:24] Now let's go use technology to make things better.
[00:06:28] The third aspect of building upon human connections in the workplace is empathy.
[00:06:35] Use empathy as your leadership superpower.
[00:06:38] Empathy is not a soft skill anymore.
[00:06:40] It's a strategic skill.
[00:06:42] It is a power skill.
[00:06:43] Leaders who are highly empathetic inspire loyalty.
[00:06:47] They're better at resolving conflicts and they understand the diverse needs of their teams and their customers.
[00:06:53] Empathy is at the heart of everything.
[00:06:54] I get you.
[00:06:56] That is what people want.
[00:06:57] They want to feel seen.
[00:06:58] They want you as their leader to understand where they are coming from.
[00:07:03] And that is where empathy comes into play.
[00:07:05] So how do you lead with empathy?
[00:07:08] Here's some practical tips.
[00:07:09] One, walk in their shoes.
[00:07:11] What is it like to be that person?
[00:07:14] You need to understand the perspective of your employees and your customers.
[00:07:17] What motivates them?
[00:07:19] What demotivates them?
[00:07:20] What obstacles are they facing?
[00:07:22] How might they feel about it?
[00:07:24] What problems do they have in their work life and their personal life?
[00:07:27] Be empathetic.
[00:07:28] Walk in their shoes.
[00:07:29] A second way to lead with empathy is to humanize your interactions.
[00:07:34] Oftentimes we leaders feel like we can't be vulnerable.
[00:07:36] We're scared to be vulnerable.
[00:07:38] But that is how we connect with people.
[00:07:40] You need to be able to show your vulnerability and be approachable.
[00:07:44] I love the most recent episode of the Elevate podcast.
[00:07:47] My dear friend, Robert Glazer, he was on my podcast.
[00:07:50] I was on him.
[00:07:51] He is a brilliant thinker, marketer, writer.
[00:07:54] And he was interviewing his guest, Jacob Morgan, who wrote a book called Leading with
[00:07:59] Vulnerability.
[00:08:00] And I love this conversation about vulnerability.
[00:08:03] And what Jacob was saying was that leaders really need to show vulnerability.
[00:08:06] Needs to have a purpose so that doesn't come across as oversharing or a loss of control,
[00:08:11] which can erode trust rather than build it.
[00:08:14] So when leaders show vulnerability, it needs to be paired with confident intention.
[00:08:18] This is what Robert wrote in his blog, Friday Forward, that was describing the podcast.
[00:08:24] He said, employees want to see their leaders as human and fallible, but they also need to
[00:08:29] know that the person in charge is steady, competent, and capable.
[00:08:33] The best leaders navigate this paradox by balancing any acknowledgement of flaws with a
[00:08:37] demonstration of their ability to manage challenges and propose solutions.
[00:08:42] I love this.
[00:08:43] I think it really allows leaders to share their challenges, to ask for feedback, and then
[00:08:48] show that they can competently get through those challenges, role modeling for others,
[00:08:54] that they can do the same.
[00:08:56] That is what humanizing interactions is all about.
[00:08:58] The third aspect of leading with empathy is to customize your leadership.
[00:09:02] What do I mean by that?
[00:09:03] Well, it means that you recognize that each individual is unique, that they have a unique
[00:09:09] communication style, a unique personality, unique skills and talents that they bring to
[00:09:14] the workplace, and that you work with them individually on what they need.
[00:09:19] So how you support them, how you communicate them is based on what they need, not just the
[00:09:24] role or not just like, oh, I treat everybody the same.
[00:09:26] No, modify the way that you lead to be able to connect with what that person needs from
[00:09:33] you.
[00:09:34] That is leading with empathy, and it is a superpower if you can figure out how to do that well.
[00:09:40] So remember that empathy does not just build connections.
[00:09:42] It unlocks potential.
[00:09:44] It allows people to know that you see and hear them and that you understand them, and they
[00:09:49] will give you more if they know that they are understood.
[00:09:52] When you lead with empathy, it creates an atmosphere where people feel safe to speak up, to innovate,
[00:09:59] to collaborate, to thrive, to take risks.
[00:10:01] That is what human connection is all about.
[00:10:04] So the fourth aspect of building human connections in the workplace is to actually understand if
[00:10:12] you're doing a good job at that.
[00:10:13] It's to conduct a connections audit.
[00:10:16] To strengthen human connection in your workplace, start by assessing where it's thriving and where
[00:10:22] it's missing.
[00:10:24] Doing a connection audit will help you identify these gaps in the organization.
[00:10:29] So here's how you do a connection audit.
[00:10:31] First, start with employee engagement.
[00:10:33] Do an engagement survey to find out if your teams are aligned, motivated, and communicating
[00:10:38] openly.
[00:10:39] And then assess what type of feedback that they're giving you on your workplace culture.
[00:10:43] The second aspect is to understand the customer experience.
[00:10:47] Survey your customers and ask them if they are feeling heard and valued.
[00:10:51] Are we solving your problems?
[00:10:52] And how can we do a better job of creating a better customer journey for you?
[00:10:59] Third, look at other stakeholder relationships.
[00:11:02] Are you nurturing your partnerships, your supplier relationships?
[00:11:05] How are you working with your investors?
[00:11:07] How are you seeing in your community?
[00:11:09] Ask those types of questions.
[00:11:11] And then finally, number four, look at your digital touch points.
[00:11:15] Evaluate if your technology is actually helping or hurting human connections.
[00:11:19] Are your automated systems enhancing relationships?
[00:11:22] Or are they creating distance?
[00:11:24] Once you've completed this audit, you can look at where you need to put your efforts.
[00:11:30] Just implement one meaningful change in each area.
[00:11:33] Even small adjustments can really yield significant results.
[00:11:37] And then finally, lead with heart in a tech-driven world.
[00:11:41] The best leaders in 2025 just won't harness technology.
[00:11:44] They will use it to deepen human connection.
[00:11:47] By prioritizing trust, empathy, and authentic relationships, you can create a workplace where
[00:11:52] people just don't perform.
[00:11:53] They flourish.
[00:11:54] So ask yourself, how can I be a leader who transforms technology into a tool for human connection?
[00:12:00] The answer lies in your ability to combine innovation with heart.
[00:12:07] I'll give you an example.
[00:12:08] We just recently implemented a new HRAS system.
[00:12:12] It's our human resources system.
[00:12:14] And it is so much better than what we were doing before.
[00:12:18] We are using technology to really help managers connect better with their employees.
[00:12:23] A great HRAS system has a way to be able to manage your performance review process, to be able to
[00:12:31] encourage conversations, keep track of goals, to be able to create career development plans,
[00:12:38] and store all of that so managers and their employees can really truly build deeper connection
[00:12:45] and go back and be able to look and say, okay, here's what your goals were.
[00:12:49] Here's how your progress is.
[00:12:50] Here's what your career development plan is.
[00:12:52] Here's the training that we were able to get you this year or that you initiated this year to be
[00:12:59] able to advance your skills and your learning.
[00:13:01] If done right, we're done with heart, with empathy, with trust, with building those authentic
[00:13:06] relationships in mind.
[00:13:07] The system can help organize things.
[00:13:09] It can help you track things.
[00:13:11] It can help you facilitate a discussion.
[00:13:13] So that is what I mean with leading with a heart in a tech-driven world.
[00:13:16] So how are you using technology to help build those connections with people?
[00:13:20] All right.
[00:13:21] That is part two of this series.
[00:13:24] Hopefully it gave you different ways to be able to think about the intersection between humanity
[00:13:29] and technology and how you can use technology to really deepen human workplace connections.
[00:13:35] And next up in the series, part three of three, we're going to be talking about legacy.
[00:13:40] So it will be called Designing Legacy, Crafting Impact That Outlast You.
[00:13:45] And we'll explore how you can align your vision with a greater purpose that becomes a legacy that
[00:13:52] transcends profit.
[00:13:54] And that can last for hopefully generations, because let's face it, when we die, we're often
[00:14:00] forgot about.
[00:14:00] But that does not mean that the impact does not have to go on through the systems, the
[00:14:07] relationships, and the companies that we built.
[00:14:11] I hope you enjoyed this podcast, and I look forward to hosting you next week.
[00:14:15] Tune in for the third part series, and then we will be jumping into 2025.
[00:14:20] And I cannot wait for all the goodness that it's going to bring.
[00:14:25] And if you like this podcast, please share it with a friend, subscribe to it on any of your
[00:14:30] favorite podcast platform on YouTube, write a review.
[00:14:33] It always helps with the algorithms.
[00:14:35] I appreciate it so much.
[00:14:36] Thanks.
[00:14:36] Take care.