Connecting with your team and in particular, your A-Players is essential to creating the environment for followership. Connecting is not limited to holding team meetings, walking through the halls, and saying, “Hi, how are you doing? “

Connecting with your people is about showing interest and being present when you are having a conversation. Make them feel they are important to you. As leaders, we need to send a clear message “You are important to me.”

Seeking to understand is always better than striving to be understood. After all, the number one human need is TO BE UNDERSTOOD—TO BE VALUED. Your people need to hear that from you.

When we connect in this manner it builds and strengthens our relationship. It is true what John Maxwell said: “Touch the heart first—then you get the head.”

We all know this to be true— the relationship is the currency for leadership. Every relationship begins with connecting and establishing the common ground, asking and listening, and being dialed into the other person.

The question for all of us is, “Are you wired? Are you connecting?” The results can be life-changing.