\n\tWhat is the leading cause of death?<\/p>\n
\n\ta. High blood pressure<\/p>\n
\n\tb. Inactivity (little to no exercise)<\/p>\n
\n\tc. Social isolation<\/p>\n
\n\td. High cholesterol<\/p>\n
\n\te. Alcohol<\/p>\n
\n\tf. Obesity<\/p>\n
\n\tIf you answered c, you are correct. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General from 2014 to 2017, wrote a report that social isolation or loneliness is a more serious health problem than opiates. \u201cLoneliness and weak social connections are associated with a reduction in lifespan similar to that caused by smoking 15 cigarettes a day and even greater than that associated with obesity.\u201d It is connected, he wrote, \u201cwith a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression, and anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tWe live and work in the most technologically connected age in the history of civilization. Yet the rates of loneliness have doubled since the 1980s. Today, more than 40 percent of adults in America report feeling lonely, and that number may be even higher. Research has found that the number of Americans with \u201cno friends\u201d has tripled since 1985. In England, Prime Minister Theresa May in 2018 appointed a minister for Loneliness, saying, \u201cFor far too many people, loneliness is the sad reality of modern life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tInterestingly, it does not matter if one is young or old; loneliness doesn\u2019t discriminate. As The Beatles sang decades ago, \u201cAll the lonely people, where do they all come from?\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tBUILDING STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIn writing \u201cLeading with Wisdom: Sage Advice from 100 Experts,\u201d my primary question to leadership sages was this: What is the best way to prepare people to be the kinds of leaders needed in these uncertain times? Interestingly, one of the main themes was \u201cLeaders Embrace Community.\u201d It is not surprising that people who don\u2019t know each other do not feel connected. It is hard to trust people you don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n \n\tSince social isolation is on the rise, building community in the workplace is not quick or easy. It needs to be intentional, thoughtful, and perceived as an important leadership responsibility worthy of investing the time for future significant returns in enhanced performance, satisfaction, and resilience.<\/p>\n \n\tTo illustrate the importance of connections and support groups, consider the examples of Alcoholics Anonymous, Weight Watchers, and Dale Carnegie. Success usually is attributed to the support of the group. Corporate America needs to take a lesson from these and other groups that center around a support group.<\/p>\n \n\tIn his report, Murthy identifies steps that can help build stronger social relationships:<\/p>\n \n\tFor my monthly podcast, Becoming a Sage,<\/em> I interviewed Peter Block, one of the top thought leaders in the leadership field. The author of Community: The Structure of Belonging,\u201d Block said the \u201cfirst thing leaders need to do is build community,\u201d and he summarized it this way: In a patriarchal world, the main job of a leader is to maintain consistency, control, and predictability. But that world is not that effective. It is just popular because it offers certainty and safety. Yet in these times, we continue to choose certainty repeatedly because that is the way things always have been done.<\/p>\n \n\tBlock advocates we start by having conversations around these questions:<\/p>\n \n\tTo build community, Block said the first step is deciding to build community. The second step is to acknowledge and write down, \u201cMy team\u2019s relationship with each other is more important than my team\u2019s relationship with me.\u201d If this is true, then every time the team gets together, the leader is thinking of ways for the team to be in small groups talking about what they want to create. I specifically asked Block to explain the basic steps:<\/p>\n \n\tCONCEPT OF BELONGING<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tDave Ulrich has been ranked as one of the top business thinkers by several sources and is the author of \u201cThe Why of Work.\u201d Ulrich finds the concept of \u201cbelonging\u201d a critical factor for overcoming social isolation and for creating organizational cultures where people thrive, not just survive. When someone belongs, there is a strong emotional attachment to another person or organization and their personal well-being increases, which enhances productivity and performance. Ulrich says, \u201cOrganizations where we work, play, and worship should become settings for belonging.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWhen asked how to create a sense of belonging, Ulrich lists four key concepts:<\/p>\n \n\tPOETRY OF CONNECTIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tJim Autry, former senior vice president of Meredith Corporation and president of its magazine group, uses poetry to emphasize the messages he believes are important for leaders to understand. In his book, \u201cLove and Profit: The Art of Caring Leadership,\u201d Autry wrote a poem I often use in workshops and courses. Here is an excerpt from \u201cThreads\u201d that reminds us of the significance of connections:<\/p>\n \n\tListen \n\tThe final conclusion of the report by Murthy states, \u201cLeaders must take action now to build the connections that are the foundation of strong companies and strong communities\u2014and that ensure greater health and well-being for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAs The Beatles also said, \u201cWe get by with a little help from our friends.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tJann E. Freed, Ph.D., is an author, speaker, and leadership development and change management consultant at The Genysys Group. Her most recent book is \u201cLeading with Wisdom: Sage Advice from 100 Experts\u201d (ATD, 2013). For more information, visit www.thegenysysgroup.com<\/a> and\u00a0http:\/\/www.JannFreed.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \n\tLeaders need to build community in the workplace as it is hard to trust people you don\u2019t know<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[31],"class_list":{"0":"post-11299","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-magazine","7":"tag-soapbox","8":"magazine_issues-may-2019"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n\tIn every office
\n\tYou hear the threads
\n\tOf love, and joy, and fear, and guilt,
\n\tThe cries for celebration and reassurance,
\n\tAnd somehow you know that connecting those threads
\n\tIs what you are supposed to do And business takes care of itself.<\/em><\/p>\n