SPEAKER Spotlight
CONTINUED
“ If you look at the data , the cost of loneliness is pretty clear . Lonely employees cost the U . S . economy $ 460 billion a year . They ’ re less productive , they ’ re less engaged and are more likely to quit .”
P : Staffing shortages in the spa industry have stretched many leaders and teams thin . How can leaders foster belonging when day-to-day operations seem to consume everyone ’ s mental bandwidth ? SP : It ’ s about building it into the everyday rituals of your experience . Those actually translate to taking action because they ’ re rituals , rather than just saying , broadly , that connection and belonging are important . That doesn ’ t translate into tangible , practical steps , so [ instead ], think , “ How can I incorporate at least a little more of this stuff — not everything — on a regular , day-to-day basis ?” Is there a way to add two minutes of some form of a connection ritual prior to just doing business as usual , whether it ’ s a call or a Zoom meeting or whatever ?
People are short-staffed , and people are juggling multiple roles , but you ’ ve got to change something .
Something has to give . If it ’ s not working one way , try something else — it could be a trial , right ? Try to get creative and think about it . I don ’ t necessarily think of this as an addition . It ’ s a different mindset ; it ’ s changing how you approach so that you ’ re building these rituals into the regular flow of work .
P : You recently shared a harsh review of your book , Friendship in the Age of Loneliness , on Instagram and admitted that you saw some truth to the criticism . Why engage with that kind of negative feedback ? SP : Facing criticism is an important part of being a leader . That doesn ’ t
mean you have to agree . It doesn ’ t mean you have to wallow in all the criticism , but I think that being able to look into it and hear where it ’ s coming from and dig deeper means you ’ re a better listener . It means you ’ re a better manager and a better leader , that you ’ re more aware of where people are coming from . If I can take a step back and say ,“ Where is this coming from ? Is there something I can empathize with ?” Then they might feel heard , and I might be able to make some changes that make me a better leader . That goes a long way toward fostering psychological safety . If you can say , “ Tell me more ,” rather than “ How dare you insult me ,” then you ’ re just setting yourself up much more to make positive changes . Frankly … you ’ re never going to get to a point where you ’ re perfect . It ’ s not about that ; it ’ s about constantly getting better . ■
ADAM “ SMILEY ” POSWOLSKY is a keynote speaker , workplace belonging expert , and bestselling author of The Quarter-Life Breakthrough ( Penguin Random House ) and The Breakthrough Speaker . His third book , Friendship in the Age of Loneliness , was recently published by Hachette .
18 PULSE ■ FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022