Welcome to the Deploy Yourself Newsletter, where I share what impactful leadership looks like to show your own power. I also share the most insightful lessons and stories I encountered in the last two weeks. You can also read this issue online.
Hey,
Do you have a best friend at work?
We normally do not talk about friendship at work. Neither is it spoken about in business schools, board rooms, or at other strategic meetings.
However, one of the main questions in Gallup’s famous surveys is – “Do you have a best friend at work?”
Why do they ask this question?
Because, in their own words, “research has repeatedly shown a concrete link between having a best friend at work and the amount of effort employees expend in their job”.
Research shows that having a best friend at work can double an employee’s engagement.
Imagine the massive boost of engagement and performance if an entire team has multiple strong friendships among them.
Gallup has also found that only 8% of workers who didn’t have a best friend at work were engaged.
Friendship is not only about having a good time, it also leads to better customer satisfaction ratings, lower rates of workplace misdemeanour and higher levels of service.
So what can you do to build friends at work?
- Listen not just to what people are saying, but to what they care about – what is behind their words
- Share openly and give them a peek into your life – be vulnerable
- Do what you say, irrespective of how small or big it is. Or, apologise and make amends when you mess up.
Have you had strong work friendships – either currently, or in the past? How did it impact your performance?
What can you do to become a friend to the people around you – irrespective of whether you are a leader or not?
Reply back and share any insights. I read and respond to every reply.
Articles and Stories Which Have Fascinated Me
One
The Unusual Books That Shaped 50+ Billionaires and Prodigies
In this article, Tim Ferris shares a mega-list of the most-gifted and favourite books of 50-60 people like billionaire investor Peter Thiel, Tony Robbins, Arnold Schwarzenegger, elite athlete Amelia Boone, Malcolm Gladwell, legendary Navy SEAL Commander Jocko Willink, Dr. Brené Brown, music producer Rick Rubin, chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin, Glenn Beck, Reid Hoffman, Marc Andreessen, and many more.
Find the full list here
Two
Using Data to support employees on a human-level
This article talks about how their VP of Engineering, Ale Paredes, used data to diagnose and then implement new practices which led to increased empathy and productivity with their remote employees. In her own words,
“We’re not trying to behave as if it’s business as usual, because it’s not business as usual.”
After diagnosing the data, she found that “People didn’t have the same amount of context. We used to rely on the fact that we were all together in the office so that if I had something to say, the person next to me would hear it…our team is small enough that usually, everyone on the team has context.” This led them to implement 4 major changes.
- They created systems for intentional public communication.
- They leaned more heavily on documentation.
- They wrote down and shared their plans
- They fostered a culture of sharing
From an article on Code Climate
Three
How to Break a Bad Habit
Research shows that most of what we do is a result of habits – whether good or bad.
Most of the time, bad habits are simply a way of dealing with stress and boredom. Everything from biting your nails to overspending on a shopping spree to drinking every weekend to wasting time on the internet can be a simple response to stress and boredom.
All of the habits that you have right now — good or bad — are in your life for a reason. Because bad habits provide some type of benefit in your life, it’s very difficult to simply eliminate them.
It is better to replace your bad habits with healthier behaviour that addresses that same need. If you expect yourself to simply cut out bad habits without replacing them, then you’ll have certain needs that will be unmet and it’s going to be hard to stick to a routine of “just don’t do it” for very long.
From an article by James Clear
That’s it for now. If you have any questions or feedback, or just want to introduce yourself, hit reply. I read and respond to every reply. All the best,
Sumit
(Twitter) @SumitGupta
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