Canadian HR Reporter

SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 CANADIAN HR REPORTER & STRATEGIC CAPABILITY NETWORK Credit: kmlmtz66 (Shutterstock) Face-to-face conversation in the workplace has a direct impact on employee energy levels, according to Brady Wilson, co-founder of Juice, a corporate training organization in Guelph, Ont. "We all have a massive amount of interactions every day, and every one of those interactions can either release a little bit more energy, or deplete energy," he said at a recent SCNetwork event in Toronto. "If we're running our organiza- tions in such a manner that peo- ple go home and just flop down on the chesterfield, we need to look at that… Connection is one of the things that is imperiled right now." When a person experiences a powerful human connection at work, it can feel like magic, said Wilson. Quality conversation can release energy in terms of possi- bility and resonance of values. In fact, conversation is the op- erating system (OS) of organiza- tions, he said. "Conversation is the OS that drives all the apps in your orga- nization," said Wilson. "Sales is an app. Customer service is an app. Coaching is an app. Problem-solv- ing, innovation, strategy — they're all apps." "But take conversation out of customer service and what hap- pens to the app? It's useless." With this in mind, creating conditions where employees are able to sustain optimum energy and engagement levels should be high on employers' to-do lists, he said. "If we can shift those interac- tions even one degree to creating more energy, that might make a big difference." 5 driving needs Every human being is fuelled by ancient drives: significance, meaning, belonging, security and freedom, according to Wilson. For example, belonging refers to a sense of inclusion and accep- tance, he said. "at is in our genes because being ousted from the tribe thou- sands and thousands of years ago means you probably won't survive." e purchase of a pack of gum has the underlying motivation of people seeking social acceptance — the ancient drive of belonging, said Wilson. The reasoning behind every decision can be boiled down to an ancient drive, he said. Some decisions are driven by security — meaning predictability, consis- tency, rules and fair play. "People make decisions for emotional reasons," said Wilson. "We make these decisions first emotionally, and then we justify them with our rational thinking." "(With) every one of these things, we are getting one of our ancient drives met." Different drives hold more sig- nificance for every person, but only one will matter the most at any given time, depending on life circumstances, he said. "We know life is incredibly circumstantial, incredibly situ- ational, and these drives can show up differently in very different situations." Various combinations of drives help produce energy in the day- to-day interactions of business professionals, according to Wil- son. And when an individual's needs are met, or a partnership with others occurs in this manner, positive energy is released. "e quickest and most direct route to releasing energy is being able to get our drives met," he said. "ese drives are not prefer- ences — they are oxygen-like. Oxygen's not a preference, it's a driving need." However, ancient drives aren't always expressed appropriately, resulting in negative energy being released in unskillful expressions of unmet needs, said Wilson. For example, gossiping can be a bid for connection, while mi- cromanaging can be a longing for security, he said. Connecting to ancient drives and meaningful matters in con- versation is a skill worth develop- ing, as humans rarely leave a face- to-face interaction unchanged, said Wilson. Rather, people exit each other's presence with lower or higher lev- els of energy, he said, and appro- priate reaction to and acknowl- edgement of concerns can make all the difference. Inside the brain Human connection releases en- ergy, powering neurotransmit- ters within the brain, said Wilson. How an individual shows up or re- acts to conversation literally cre- ates a contraction or expansion in colleagues' brains. "It's not that mystical," he said. "When we connect on what mat- ters most, we are actually releas- ing inside of our own brain, and inside the brain of another, oxyto- cin. And it builds a sense of trust and evokes this sense of 'I would work with you.'" Similarly, understanding what is possible releases dopamine, fu- elling creativity, said Wilson. "It's the seeking drive — so mo- tivation, goal orientation, ingenu- ity all get released," he said. "You can actually release dopamine in your own brain and others by be- ing good at understanding what's possible." Shared value and respect also releases brain chemicals, unlock- ing a sense of invincibility, accord- ing to Wilson. "When people give you recog- nition, it feels delicious," he said. "Why? Because serotonin is flow- ing inside of you." And when oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin are flowing freely, good things happen, and can even make individuals feel as if they are smarter around certain people, said Wilson. "Some people unlock oxytocin and dopamine and serotonin in your brain," he said. "And other people, when they shoot you down before you have a chance to develop your logic, when you feel judged or unduly criticized, when you feel there is a power differential being played… for whatever reason, we go to our primitive brain and we are not able to access the highly nuanced, future-based prefrontal cortex that we all love so much." "When you're working with other people and you feel highly connected, and there's a sense of creativity that's buzzing and there's a sense of confidence, you're unstoppable," said Wilson. "We've all experienced it." "When you are able to connect on what matters most, you splash the person's brain with oxytocin, creativity, confidence." Focusing on connection, un- derstanding possibilities and partnering together for progress would serve workforces well, he said. "If you can connect on what matters most, that could be a re- ally good coaching conversation." "We've been socialized not to talk about our needs, because I don't want to feel — or be per- ceived as — broken, needy, selfish, narcissistic," said Wilson. "What we're trying to do is make the un- discussable discussable." Tweaking conversation with non-judgmental, non-accusing tactics can help steer interactions back towards what matters most, fuelling longer-lasting energy and engagement, he said. Ancient drives spur energy, engagement 'When you're working with other people and feel highly connected, and there's a sense of creativity that's buzzing and there's a sense of confidence, you're unstoppable' BY MARCEL VANDER WIER

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