Joseph Grenny, co-author of Crucial Conversations and several other bestselling books recently wrote, “If people in your organization don’t frequently cackle out loud with each other, you’ve got serious trouble.”  According to Grenny, a lack of laughter can signal a lack of trust.  In addition, a lack of laughter may be impeding a group’s ability to connect and bond.

It so happens that I came across Grenny’s article at the same time that I was reading Kay Redfield Jamison’s book, Exuberance.  Jamison makes scores of references to the importance of play and laughter at work.   Jamison states that laughter would have been vital to the early development of humans because it would have helped to disarm tension and relieve stress.  It would also have been a sign of trust that would then allow and encourage people to come together and take risks as a group.

As a facilitator, I have the opportunity to work with scores of groups in any given year.  It is amazing to me to see how the first 3 minutes with a group accurately indicates the overall mood and trust level in an organization.  When people are laughing and kidding with one another as they settle in to their seats, I know that we will be able to address real and relevant issues.  When people aren’t talking and making eye contact (let alone laughing) I know that we will need to spend a lot of time attempting to build trust before people will speak up.

Many leaders I work with wish that their people would speak up more.  They crave more rigorous discussions and signs of enthusiasm. What they sometimes fail to realize is that, as the leader they set the tone for people’s willingness to take risks.

If you want to encourage genuine group connections, trust, and openness you may want to start by helping people laugh at work.  You don’t need to be a comedian.  Start by simply showing your own vulnerability from time to time.  Laugh at yourself and with others, then watch as people begin to open up.

To read Grenny’s full BusinessWeek article, LOL at Work, click here.

• Style: HOW we do what we do (Driving, Influencing, Steady, Careful)

• Passion: WHY we do what we do (Results, People, Creativity, Knowledge, Leading, Tradition)

• Mindset: WHAT we focus on (People, Processes, or Systems)

I learned (from working with Myron) that my workplace passions are: People, Knowledge and Creativity.  I wasn’t sure that creativity fit me, until I learned that the creativity passion means a desire to be in balance in life and connected with nature.  This awareness helped me set my personal vision of doing intellectually stimulating work that helps people and having a serene, nature-focused life.  

About 2½ years ago, my husband and I moved to Colorado – a decision driven by these passions.  Just today I had a combination of experiences that reminded me of just how powerful it is when we can align our work lives with our sources of internal energy.  

My first agenda item for this morning was working with a client to develop a change communication plan.  I literally jumped out of bed before dawn and got right to work.  Only later did I reflect on how energized I felt, and realized that the task combined my passion for knowledge and people.  I was getting to combine things I had learned from the literature and my own experience to create a plan that would energize people!

In the middle of the morning I glanced out my office window and saw that our neighborhood bobcat was back.  He was just a few yards away from me – stalking a squirrel at our feeder.  As I watched him hunt with adrenaline racing through my veins it occurred to me that this was a hat-trick of a day.  I was getting to live my passion for people, knowledge and nature.  It’s only noon but I am willing to bet that this will be the most productive day of the week (if not month) for me because I am lucky enough to be living what I call “energized alignment.”  Energized alignment is a “state” rather than a “trait.”  We experience it at an internal level when our internal energy matches up perfectly with what we need to do and with our environment.  

I’d love to hear from you.  What are your passions?  When do you experience energized alignment?

So why is this a problem?  While I could just say, “This is who I am – take it or leave it” I am starting to realize that my energy might actually shut other people down.  Oddly enough, I’ve only starting to see this because lately I have been around other people who exhaust me.  There are some folks who can be so talkative, dominating, and opinionated that I almost recoil.  Without even realizing it, I back away a few inches, fold my arms and sometimes even stop talking.

I hadn’t noticed myself doing this until my good friend Mary Lynn pointed it out to me.  She went on to graciously point out that I sometimes have the same effect on others!  Only a true friend can tell us these sorts of things about ourselves and I am truly grateful to Mary Lynn for helping me see this blind spot.  Thanks to her, I now try to bring my energy to a more solid, grounded place – especially when meeting new people.  I try to make space in the conversation for others and listen more.  Yes, I have a long way to go but I am starting to improve.  Most importantly, I now see how being bubbly can energize some people and exhaust others.  Thank you ML.

As you may have seen from my home page, I am refining the focus of my work and this blog.  I took advantage of the quiet time of the holidays to reflect on my own true purpose and passions.  I realized that the aspect of leading and communicating change that interests me most is the concept of energy.  I believe (and McKinsey’s research supports) that energy is key to any successful change effort – whether it is organizational change or personal change.  When we feel energized we approach our life and work with the feeling that we can do things, can make a difference, can be successful.

Energy comes from several places.  First, energy comes from within.  When we are fulfilling our purpose we feel energized.  Energy also comes from our interactions with other people. When I have conversations with certain friends and colleagues, I walk away feeling energized and uplifted – like anything is possible.  What is it about these people and my interactions with them?  In the coming months, I plan to explore this question along with others such as:

• Can we observe and describe the elements that make an interaction energizing?
• Can we predict how energizing certain behaviors will or won’t be for people?
• Is the impact the same for everyone or do personality preferences and other ways people vary make a difference?
• Is it possible that what energizes one person may drain someone else?

Do you have an interest in energy at work?  Are there ideas or resources that you’d like to share?  I’d love to hear from you.  In the meantime, I send you my best wishes for a positively energizing 2010!

Just a few weeks later, Joseph Plumeri, chairman and chief executive of the insurance broker Willis Group holding was asked what questions he asked job candidates. Can you guess his answer?

It struck me that both Grossman and Plumeri seem to be saying that you don’t have to necessarily share their passions – but that you do need to be passionate about something.  When I read their statements I was reminded of advice that I got from a mentor myself several years ago.  He said, “Be interesting to talk to. Have hobbies that you are passionate about outside of work.”

So, how do you discover your passions if you aren’t already able to verbalize them?

• Listen to my audio clip Understanding Internal Energy and the Six Passions and read about the  Workplace Passions in the book I co-wrote with Myron Radio, Change at the Core.
• Check out Tim Kelly’s book, True Purpose: 12 Strategies for Discovering the Difference You Are Meant to Make
• Talk with a few close friends about your interests (both personal and professional) and ask them to tell you when you light up – in other words when you start talking faster, get animated, and yes, even get a sparkle in your eye.  You’ve hit on your passion!

Do you have other tips for uncovering your passion?  Please post your suggestions in the comments box below.

A few weeks ago I attended a panel discussion about the impact of executive actions on employee engagement.  One of the executive panelists, Steve Bigari spoke about the importance of really caring about employees as individual people.  By dressing as waiter and serving coffee before the meeting, he illustrated the point that leaders often don’t see the “invisible” people in their own organizations.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Bigari’s demonstration lately because I am preparing to teach a class on motivating and retaining employees.  While there are many aspects of motivation to be explored, I think the most fundamental point is that every employee needs to be seen and know that he/she is respected and valued as a person.

Patrick Lencioni, author of The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, asserts that anonymity is a driving force in what makes people miserable at work.  He writes:  “People cannot be fulfilled in their work if they are not known.”

I agree with Lencioni.  In my experience, every employee  wonders, “Does anyone care about me as a person? Do I belong here?”  The answers go a long way toward determining motivation, engagement, retention, and productivity.

In fact, the 2007 Tower’s Perrin Global Workforce Study study of 90,000 employees found that the #1 element any employee wants (across all generations) is senior management interest in his or her well-being.

So, if you are a leader at any level – go ahead and make someone’s day.  Take some time to check in with people one-on-one.  You might try a technique we call the “Take Ten Check-In.”  Take jut 10 minutes a day to ask one person how he/she is doing.  Make it about the person – not just the work.  You will make his/her day.

In my work, I’ve used the World Cafe method to engage employees at all levels in dialogue about the key issues their team, group, or organization is facing.  By moving from table to table and focusing on having conversations, rather than making decisions, participants broaden their own thinking and begin to understand and value different perspectives.

To read stories about successful World Cafes and to learn how to host one yourself, visit www.WorldCafe.com.

Too see a World Cafe in action, check out this video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

As I reflected on my experiences, I realized that committee leadership isn’t really that different from leading any team inside an organization.  Here are a few observations:

Don’t Jump to Tactics Too Quickly

I was surprised by how often leaders jumped to assigning action items in the very first meeting of a new committee.  Of course, there is always a lot of work to be done, but focusing on tasks too quickly can derail any team.  Before assigning jobs or even asking for volunteers, leaders should:

Help Committee Members Build Relationships

If you want your team to have productive conversations, people need to feel safe speaking up.  Trust is crucial and the only way to build trust is to help people get to know each other on a personal level.  Consider kicking off your meetings with a quick icebreaker.  One committee leader I work with starts every meeting by asking each of us to provide an update on what we’ve been up to since the last meeting.  I am consistently impressed by a) how much fun this is and b) how many connections we uncover. 

Communicate the Big Picture

As the leader, you may know why the committee was formed and where you are headed, the rest of your team doesn’t.  Spend some time talking about the vision for this organization and it’s purpose or mission.  Invite your team to chime in and contribute to the discussion.  Remember that effective visions are not communicated to your team – they are created with your team. 

Uncover People’s Passions

When you are leading any team, it is critical to connect with what people are passionate about.  Doing so becomes even more important when you are dealing with volunteers.  Do you know why each person joined the team?  Do you know what motivates them?  Do you know what sorts of activities energize them, and which derail them?  If you spend some time talking about people’s passions before getting to tasks and accountability, you’ll be able to unleash people’s energy and get tasks done much more quickly. 

For more information on unleashing energy, check out our book, Change at the Core.

According to Kotter, creating urgency is the first step in any change effort.  It’s also often overlooked.  Many companies suffer from complacency – an overdose of self-confidence that causes myopic views.  Other organizations are plagued by a false sense of urgency – hectic activity driven by fear.  Successful companies, on the other hand, experience what Kotter calls “true urgency”.  True urgency is driven by a deep determination to win, not anxiety about losing.

 So how do you go about creating a true sense of urgency?  Kotter’s book presents four specific tactics, such as “bring the inside in” and “act with urgency every day.”  

Get a preview of the book by watching this video clip.

Click here to view the embedded video.