Understanding and Investing in Your Connectedness Talent

On this Theme Thursday Season 4 webcast, Jim Collison, Gallup's Director of Talent Sourcing, and Maika Leibbrandt, Senior Workplace Consultant, talk about Connectedness.

Connectedness is about anticipating and embracing the seen and unseen connection between all things. It is about being in-tuned to something beyond the immediate. There is an aspect of timelessness to this theme. People with Connectedness can be quite curious, but also quite aware. They have no problem accepting mysteries. They have a calm when things don't make sense. They can move forward through that mystery.

The value that Connectedness brings is a calming emotion about the current moment. It does this by expanding our awareness of something bigger. Connectedness is unrestrained by time and practicality. It is about creativity and offering an enhanced perspective. It is valuable because you can help others see the effects that their actions have. There is an awareness that everything that you do has a ripple effect. It is not just a linear process. Connectedness can be about zooming out and seeing the whole picture.

Do more sharing when you sense others might be missing something. Understand that you are going to see more than others. Gain access to perspectives that might otherwise be isolated. Ask for time that you can spend with other teams and departments. The more you can do to expand your web, the more awareness you are going to have. Be a bridge builder. It isn't just seeing a person right in front of you, but seeing their whole story.

Let go of the need to have proof in order to believe. You don't have to have evidence with Connectedness. Let go of having to win through logic. It is more an empathic theme rather than an intellectual theme. Connectedness adds a depth of mystery and feeling where you don't have to actually come to the answer. It has an almost spiritual embracing of the unknown.

If you have someone with high Connectedness on your team don't expect them to get very riled and over reactive in the moment. Do expect an enhanced perspective beyond that moment in time. Tap into what they are sensing. They will be able to take clues from what they already know, and what they are noticing now, to help you learn from where you have been in order to go somewhere better. You can be a good partner for Connectedness by helping provide them access to the system. Give them space to do some sensing. Ask them what they're noticing.

Recognize the ripples they create. Recognize the impact they have on their community. This could mean their team, or it could be their family. It is not necessarily about the singular person, but rather the effect that person has on all of the individuals around them.

You can help Connectedness develop by just asking what it is they're sensing. Create a space for them to explore, and don't be afraid to explore with them. Go into those spaces that don't necessarily look like they have an outcome. Ask them what the connections and effects are of the actions that are currently being taken. Think about using them as an advisor.

If Connectedness is one of your Dominant Themes, invest in it this week through the following challenge items:

• Try out an App that quiets your mind.
• Spend an hour talking with a trusted friend about what direction your gut is nudging you.
• Ask someone to tell you their story.

If Connectedness is not one of your Dominant Themes, invest in it this week through the following challenge items:

• How do you find calmness in the middle of chaos?
• How do you feel when there isn't a concrete answer to a challenge?