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In our latest episode of Geeks Geezers Googlization, leadership consultant Alain Hunkins cracks the leadership code and discusses the challenges of effective communication and collaboration in the Never Normal workplace. He answers these questions and more:

• What are the three meta-skills of great leadership?
• What are the four key themes for effective collaboration?
• What makes communication difficult?
• Can understanding be 100% achieved?
• What can be done to close the gap between perspectives?
•  How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact leadership?

Ready to crack the Never Normal Leadership Code? Keep reading or click on one of the links below.

CLIP TO WATCH THIS SHORT EXCERPT



Leadership isn't just for those with fancy titles

It's a fundamental human behavior that can be practiced by anyone. Alain Hunkins, a leadership consultant with over 27 years of experience in education and leadership training, working with companies such as WalMart and Pfizer, believes that the skills needed for leadership can be broken down into three meta-skills: connection, communication, and collaboration.

For Hunkins, his interest in human behavior stems from his mother and grandmother surviving the Holocaust, which shaped his worldview. He has spent his career studying patterns of behavior in good and bad leaders and aims to help people accelerate their leadership learning curve.

What sets lousy leaders apart from great leaders?

According to Hunkins, it's their orientation towards self or others. Great leaders value and care about people as human beings, rather than viewing them as mere positions. This orientation is often reflected in their use of pronouns - I and me vs. we and us. Esteeming and respecting people is intuitive in great leaders but it can also be learned.

The Shattered Post-Pandemic Psyche

The pandemic shattered our collective psyche and made us question the bigger things in life. Workers had a taste of autonomy and leaders should not force them back into the old way of working. Instead, they should focus on how to build engagement and productivity in any location, which may require different individual and team-level solutions.

Unlearning and the 3 C's

To be a successful leader, Hunkins believes that all of us need to unlearn old habits and prioritize connection, communication, and collaboration. Credibility through modeling behavior and empathy is crucial, but leaders face barriers to leading with empathy due to time constraints and discomfort with the messiness of human relationships. Investing time in caring for people and creating psychological safety is crucial for collaboration and achieving the best work.

The 4 Key Themes of Collaboration

Collaboration requires safety, energy, purpose, and ownership for impactful work. Leaders can create energy by scheduling breaks and avoiding energy-draining activities, clarifying the purpose of the team, and providing autonomy for ownership.

In the end, leadership isn't about titles or positions, but about fundamental human behavior. As Hunkins puts it, "Leadership is about creating value with and through others." So, whether you're a CEO or a recent college grad, we can all practice leadership by prioritizing connection, communication, and collaboration.

Right to the Point!

Here are a few timestamps if you want to just skip to a few of the key takeaways. But be forewarned ... you are bound to miss much of the wisdom dropped by Alain!

Note: Some of the timestamps might be off a few seconds after editing.

[00:09:07] "Demystifying Leadership: A Unique Journey and Meta Skills"

[00:17:38] "The Importance of Caring in Effective Leadership"

[00:21:38] "The Biggest Challenges to Effective Communication"

[00:28:03] "The Shattered Psyche of the Post-pandemic Workplace"

[00:38:15] The Importance of Connection and Empathy in Leadership

[00:47:20] "4 key themes that Make Collaboration Successful"

[00:49:44] "Hope and Fear for the Future Generations"

[00:52:26] "Unlocking Growth Through Receptive Feedback Mindset"

Jason and I work hard each week to provide you with fresh, forward-thinking insights and conversations about the future of work. Let us know which guests and topics you enjoyed the most. Which ones do you feel are worth sharing? Have any of them had an impact on you or your teams? We would love to hear from you.

Please take a few minutes too to respond and comment on this episode.

Thank you!