Human Resources: Thought Leaders, November 16, 2006

Thought Leaders
Industry Gurus Live

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Thought Leader: Tom Rath on Friendships at Work - A Strategic Lever for Increasing Engagement

Tom Rath and his colleagues at The Gallup Organization have studied the topic of friendship and engagement extensively. Karen Elmhirst recently spoke with Tom to learn what role relationships play at work, the benefits they provide and how organizations can help foster friendships.

Read this interview if you're interested in answers to the following questions:

KE: Tom, why don't we begin by having you tell us what prompted you to write this book?

TR: There were really two primary factors. One is that working for Gallup, we spend a lot of time speaking with leading psychologists and sociologists around the world and about the only thing I can ever get them to agree on is the fact that social relationships are probably the single best predictor of our day-to-day happiness. If there is one thing that really makes us feel better, it is the quality of our friendships. About 10 years ago, Gallup started to make an extension to see how important our friendships are in the workplace. That is the second major reason I had a lot of interest in this topic because we now have about 10 years of data suggesting that friendships are essential on the job as well.

KE: In my work, I am seeing more emphasis being placed on training and development for intact teams: leadership teams, project teams, as opposed to just working with individuals. Do you think we are starting to share your realization that big potential lays within relationships in the workplace?

TR: You know, it's a really good point. If you think about the way our education starts at a very young age and how it continues into the workplace, we spend so much time focusing on how to build each individual's knowledge base. In grade school it was, how do you get better at writing and arithmetic? Then you move into the professional world and you have to self-develop.

Of course maybe if you are lucky, you do have some team sessions and talk about teams, but often the focus is still on each person, instead of on how we build the connections between two people. A lot of our research shows that all of the great innovations that occur within an organization and big wins and victories with clients or employees, usually take place at the intersection between two people, or at least at the intersection between a series of people.

KE: I love the quote you include in your book, taken from a speech that Roosevelt prepared at the end of his life and never delivered. Why don't you share that with us?

TR: At the end of World War II there were a lot of tensions on the home front and he was thinking about what could help people to reconcile and he said, "Today we are faced with the pre-eminent fact that, if civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships." I have studied a little bit of history about Roosevelt and his friendship with Winston Churchill in particular. It was one of the great relationships that helped shape the overall political landscape of the world several generations ago.

KE: And that is really what your book is about, the science of human relationships. Why don't you give us the 30-second summary of your research process?

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Karen Elmhirst, Co-host, Thought Leaders Live

Karen Elmhirst is always on the lookout for research and best practices in the areas of leadership, leadership development and organizational learning. Karen writes articles and interviews thought leaders in order to provide you with the information and resources you need to help you build great organizations. Karen is also an executive coach, working with leaders to help them identify their personal definitions of success and to live lives that support those intentions.

Karen has had experience in a wide range of industries and has held senior level positions in both marketing and sales. Karen has also been active as a writer, trainer, facilitator and communication coach. Her articles have appeared in the IHRIM Journal and Leadership Excellence as well as on HR.com. Karen graduated with Hons. Bachelor of Commerce degree from U.B.C in Vancouver, Canada. She completed her coaching training at The Coaches Training Institute.

How do employees typically rate the time they spend with their boss?
Why is friendship such a big factor in employee engagement?
What other aspects of our lives and work are affected by the quality of our relationships?
What can HR professionals do to help foster productive relationships at work?

Synopsis:

"Did you know that people who have a "best friend" at work are seven times more likely to be engaged in their work? They also have fewer accidents, more engaged customers, and are more likely to innovate and share new ideas," says Tom Rath. Tom Rath and his colleagues at The Gallup Organization have studied the topic of friendship and engagement extensively. Read this article to learn what role relationships play at work and the benefits they provide and how organizations can help foster friendships.

Expert bio:

Tom Rath is co-author of the #1 New York Times and #1 Business Week bestseller, How Full is Your Bucket? - A book that draws on decades of research to explore the differences between leading an enthusiastic life and a miserable one. With more than 500,000 copies in print within its first year of publication, this international bestseller is now available in more than 10 languages. Tom has been with the Gallup Organization for 12 years and currently leads Gallup's Workplace and Leadership Consulting Worldwide. He also serves on the board of VHL.org, an organization dedicated to cancer research and patient support.

Tom earned his bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan, a masters degree from the University of Pennsylvania and is currently pursuing a degree at John Hopkins University. He lives in Washington, DC. Tom's second book Vital Friends - The People You Can't Afford to Live Without is an examination of the friendships that make work and home life more positive and productive. It was published in August 2006 and it will be the focus of our interview today.

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Dick Grote on Turning Problem Employees Into Superior Performers

November 20, 2006
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET

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Goals for a discipline system.
Why the traditional "progressive discipline" system doesn't work.
Effective ways to conduct performance improvement discussions.
When to start disciplinary action.
Instituting a disciplinary process that works.

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