CEOs, let's reimagine connection to work.

In the last month, I took part in a discussion on Quiet quitting at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. It is a fast-changing world for workers It is clear that leaders, like us, are engaging in many of the appropriate questions. the pros and cons of working remotely The risks and potential presented with AI, the need to build an environment that is more welcoming and sustainable.

However, one issue is deserving of more attention: if the workforce of our generation is evolving technologically, and post-pandemic behaviors as well as expectations changing...don't we as leaders need to adapt?

There's a whole Generation of Digital Natives making their way into the work force. They grew up creating and sharing video instead of making calls or texts, and are able to consider TikTok or YouTube the best sources of information. When it comes to their private lives they're hyper-connected, as well as extremely active.

But in their workplaces there's a completely different picture. We're witnessing significant reductions in engagement and employee satisfaction among the remote Gen Z and younger millennials. Fewer than four in ten young remote or hybrid employees understand what's required of them in the workplace, and more than half Gen Z employees are ambivalent or not engaged at work. If we think of employee engagement as the most important indicator of productivity in the workforce This has enormous implications for every company and for every company's bottom line.

What's causing this disconnection? As in work and in life it is common for us to want to be part of something greater than ourselves. There is a deep desire to belong, to feel an identity that is open, honest as well as human. However, the more our population becomes digitally distributed and AI-enabled as a result, it becomes more challenging it gets to truly feel connectedness every day. Particularly, if we've not changed our methods of working to accommodate our future workforce. It is still common for us to ask employees to understand a plethora of documents, write lengthy emails, and take part in inefficient meetings. They learn about layoffs and the company's priorities from communications which are so automated and scripted that they could be created via ChatGPT. And the only pulse we as leaders have on this comes through cookie-cutter engagement surveys and live events that have low tune-in and high drop-off percentages, as well as occasionally snarky chat or Q&A.

The traditional managerial model is failing us. We must change the way our leaders present themselves and connect with our employees. As we focus on reskilling our workforce to meet the changing population, demographic and technological advancements, we also need to improve our leadership skills, so that we can create trust and connections on a large.

I've tried a lot of this in the past couple of years . These are the things I'm learning and embracing, that I believe can help us show up differently and lead more effectively:

 1. Realize who you are, and be yourself.

At the start of the pandemic, I ran a global town hall from my parents' home located in Flint, Michigan -- tired and slumbering in my velour pajamas, with my toddler son as well as my grandma shuffling between the background.

Perhaps it was my most effective communication ever.

Why? because it was not scripted, vulnerable, and messy. It's easy to fall into "us versus us versus them" dynamics when we work within a business, particularly when we are under stress or challenges. It's very it's easy to see "leadership" as a nameless, faceless machine. Being video-first and visual with your communications is an effective way to combat this. This forces you to shed the mask and protection of the written or edited communication. The best way to break through is to present yourself just as you really are.

In the end, there have been instances of leadership being vulnerable and it backfiring...but I would guess that in the majority of these instances the problem was that it was too performative. It is important to allow to let that part of you to make mistakes when you are in front of your group. We all have flaws that makes us humans. We all wish to see our leaders be brave -- it only inspires us to be more like them.

 2. Begin by asking the "why ."

As with many other leaders have had to make difficult choices in the last year. From executive cuts and layoffs to the reorganization and shutdown of projects in the name of efficiency. It is my job to make the hard, unpopular calls and enact rapid changes across the organization.

In a growing number of cases, employees are craving transparency behind these choices - not only the "what" however, but the "why". The desire is to comprehend the larger environment of competition that is balanced and weighed, and the process that was used and at what time.

The conventional comms strategy will say that when you're faced with an important communication issue that requires your attention to be a little strained, start by asking the "what" and get straight to the essential steps. However, I've been more successful getting people to accept a tough choice when I view my staff as important participants who need to be aware of the context.

As a result, starting with "why" is a first principle for all comms at . There will always be limitations to fully transparency (legal, PR, governance, customer risk), but I've found that, in the majority of cases, that the obstacles are just that. Perceived. Some people may not agree with your decision-making, but I could argue that if they do they are not performing the job you're supposed to do. However, they'll appreciate and accept your choices by starting with the why.

 3. Invest in in-person or in-person meetings, and make it personal.

Yes, I recognize that it's ironic to hear the chief executive of a company that produces videos declaring that. But one of my biggest lessons over the last few months is that we've have waited too long, and we weren't conscious enough about bringing our teams closer in real life.

In January, just a few days following layoffs, the company organized a corporate kickoff event in NYC. The event brought in employees from more than a dozen countries. There were employees from Ukraine who took trains, planes, and cars to get there. The event was not a typical one with confetti and opted for a low-key vibe with a tight budget. It was one of the most stimulating and necessary investments I've done.

The power is enhanced in the event that, as leaders you get on a plane and visit your team wherever they are. We have an entirely dispersed executive team that spans eight cities starting from Seattle to Switzerland. Many were hired during the past year, so we they are relatively new and are only beginning to gel as a team. In order to speed up the process of forming a cohesive team We started offsites at the homes of each leader's city. We hung out with our CFO's mom at her fireplace in Vermont. Our Head of Sales was wearing his apron. He made us frittatas for breakfast. The group worked in the Chef of Product's table.

The outbreak provided us with the ability to see into other's homes and private lives -- if we lean into that, and integrate it into our day-to-day and work, we can have the chance to form more cohesive and better-performing teams.

 4. You can go between "lean back" to "lean forward" experiences.

One of the most important skills in communication can be expected to develop the capacity to create "lean forward" experiences, instead of "lean back" broadcasts. As humans, our attention spans are getting shorter (now just the eight-second mark, less than the time it takes to catch a goldfish!). But we continue to communicate by one-to-many communications, either by email, which you can read or an elaborate town hall where you relax and enjoy.

We can see this burden on engagement appearing in our own statistics and the amount of time to drop off from watching a video has decreased in the last few years. If we don't alter our approach, tune-out will seriously hinder our capability to keep our teams aligned and productive.

It is crucial shifting our thinking and openness to different things. There is a new generation entering the workforce who have a head start on us with their capacity to develop as well as capture authentic, rich data. They're ahead of us because they're not subject to the constraints our generation experienced over the years in conventional working environments.

They say that employees don't quit jobs. They leave managers. In reality, CEOs are the most effective managers and according to an study of more than 113,000 leaders The most significant key to efficient management is confidence. As leaders we must teach our employees how to present themselves in more authentic, interesting and authentic ways. I'm betting that the CEOs who embrace this brave modern world will be more successful in overseeing the next generation of workers. They will better inform and engage distributed teams and align them to more productive outcomes, and build lasting relationships that bring out outstanding work. They'll cease communicating, and instead, connect better.