We’ve all heard people say things like “trust your heart” or “go with your gut.” But just what does that mean when applied within a workplace? It turns out that science is saying a lot about how we actually do think with these parts of our body. Joe Mechlinski has actually applied these concepts in the workplace with some magnificent results. 

Joe is a New York Times best-selling author, speaker, and social entrepreneur. He greatly believes that having engaged employees is the key to unlocking human potential. Joe is the founder of SHIFT, a collective of businesses united by a common mission to create a more engaged workforce. Like us, Joe has a strong desire to revolutionize the workforce and drive engagement within an organization to levels many would think impossible. 

In this interview, we dive deep into the theme of trust as an essential part of any functioning organization. We also explore the research around the intelligence of our hearts and guts and what the science says about the importance of listening to these vital parts of ourselves. 

We go on to talk more about the importance of psychological safety at companies and building trust between employees and leadership. Without this mutual trust, there will always be limits to what the workforce can achieve and Joe shares some great ideas for how to establish it. 

How do you show your vulnerability and that you trust your employees? Leave us a comment below!

In this episode:

• How “following your heart” or “trusting your gut” are more than just cliches, but actual parts of a healthy decision making process
• What the science is saying about how you actually think with your heart and gut as well as with your brain
• How we can build a culture and organization that encourages us to leverage the intelligence of our hearts and guts
• What many companies inadvertently do that discourages their employees and how to avoid making the same mistakes
• Real ways to establish mutual trust within a company or organization

Quotes:

“The single greatest lever of a company’s potential is a more engaged workforce -- people who don’t dread Mondays, who don’t have the Sunday scaries, who aren’t watching the clock tick down every single day.” [7:23]

“The way we think about the heart-brain connection is that it’s really connected to your passion, what you love to do. When you think about developing high-performers, they have a tendency to actually love what they do.” [11:55]

“If you don’t trust your employees, they’re not going to trust you.” [23:59]

“We’re going to find it really funny that every power structure in an organization is a pyramid and that there are these few people, mainly the CEO who makes all the decisions. And let’s be honest, the buck stops with that person. That is the dumbest, silliest way to construct cooperation in an organization.” [31:00]

“You can’t go to the gym and just spectate, you’ll look like an idiot. I think the same thing about this work; I can’t spectate. I have to be at least part of the pack if not helping to promote and influence part of the pack.” [48:46]

Links:

Find Joe Mechlinski at Shift the Work

Follow Shift on Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Linkedin | Instagram

Shift the Work by Joe Mechlinski

Shift Happens podcast

Stealing Fire by Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal 

Team Human by Douglas Rushkoff

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

Bob Chapman’s Truly Human Leadership

Listen to Best-Self Management Here

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