Our recent WiseTalk conversation with author Ryan Jenkins was one of the best yet! We were intrigued and inspired by Ryan’s insights on loneliness – a tough and touchy subject that needs to be addressed. While people don’t tend to talk about how lonely or disconnected they feel, many people are feeling this way and Hybrid/Remote work isn’t helping. And as a leader, dealing with others’ loneliness (or your own) may feel daunting. So what to do? Listen/read this WiseTalk for some very practical insights and tips. We think you’ll find that Sue and Ryan really model how to talk about this tricky topic!

Ryan offered specific ideas from his book Connectable: How Leaders Can Move Teams From Isolated to All In and the Less Loneliness FrameworkTM:  (Notice the cool L.I.N.K. acronym)

  1. Look at loneliness and gain awareness of its impacts.
  2. Invest in connection and create safe spaces for connection.
  3. Narrow your focus and create more clarity on what’s important.
  4. Kindle the momentum and continue to focus on connectivity.

Sample insights from the conversation:

  • Lonely workers are seven times less likely to be engaged at work, five times more likely to miss work due to stress, and twice as likely to think about leaving their employer.
  • When we prioritize convenience over connection, we are doing ourselves a disservice. We should prioritize using the time saved to reinvest in meaningful connections.
  • Whether introverted or extroverted, there is really no difference in the necessity of connection. While introverts handle solitude better, they still need meaningful connection.
  • Our social skills are like a muscle we need to exercise and coming out of the pandemic we need to be more intentional and deliberate in building up our social skills and connections to reduce loneliness.
  • Leaders can have a huge impact on the prevention of loneliness in the workforce by creating more opportunities for learning, engagement, and social connection. Individuals are less likely to want to leave a company if they feel connected to their work and their organization.

Get more tips and insights by listening to the full episode or perusing the transcript here.

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