DFA’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies to humanize the workplace, empower people, and foster innovation. Members can access full versions the Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.
Why Connection, Why Now
People are carrying more than we can see. Burnout is at an all-time high, engagement is at 2014 levels, manager engagement is down, and what researchers are calling “quiet cracking” is often not quiet at all. It is visible. We are just not asking.
Connection is not a nice-to-have, it is the foundational work of organizational life. When people feel genuinely connected, to themselves, to the people they work with, and to the organization they are part of, everything works better: work feels more meaningful, teams function more effectively, and people stay. When connection is absent, everything is harder. And no initiative, program, or policy fills that gap.
At DFA, we believe culture lives at the intersection of intentions and interactions. Intentions are the values and commitments that define who an organization says it is. Interactions are the everyday behaviors that shape how people experience it. Every person in an organization is a culture carrier, every interaction adds to the culture that others experience, and connection is the thread that runs through all of it…..
The Inner Work of Connection
You cannot pour from an empty cup. It is very difficult to connect with others if you have lost connection with yourself. When people feel depleted or cut off from their own sense of purpose, it shows up in how they communicate, how they make decisions, and how they show up in relationships. The inner work of connection rests on three anchors:
- Presence is about being honest with yourself about your current state, what you are carrying, what is draining you, and what is giving you energy. Ask yourself: How am I feeling right now? What is draining me? What is fueling me? Where is the imbalance? Sometimes we spend more time thinking about something than it would take to address it. The drains and fuels exercise is a simple way to reconnect with where you are, surface what is within your control, and reclaim micro moments of fuel that may only take minutes.
Members: Read the full version of this Action Step in the Member Resource Center.
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