According to Forbes, research demonstrates that 70% of a team’s engagement is shaped by their manager—more than any other organizational factor including mission statements or workplace perks. The article illustrates through examples like “Jordan” that connected leaders build connection into everyday moments rather than waiting for perfect opportunities, creating what’s described as a “multiplier effect” where small, consistent acts of connection become cultural patterns. The analysis emphasizes that attempts at connection fall flat when they’re inconsistent, performative, or disconnected from daily realities, and highlights how overwork being treated as a badge of honor signals that output matters more than wellbeing. This approach to leadership creates lasting impact that people carry forward into their own leadership styles and interactions.
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The Science Behind Managerial Impact
While the 70% figure is striking, it aligns with decades of organizational psychology research showing that immediate supervisors serve as the primary conduit through which employees experience organizational culture and values. The concept of multiplier effects in economics describes how initial investments create outsized returns—similarly, small leadership investments in connection generate disproportionate cultural returns. What makes this particularly powerful is that these connection moments require minimal time investment but create maximum psychological safety, which research consistently links to team performance, innovation, and retention.
Why Most Connection Initiatives Fail
The article correctly identifies why many organizational connection efforts fall flat, but the underlying reasons run deeper. Most companies approach connection as a program rather than a practice—something to be implemented rather than cultivated. When independent initiatives lack integration with daily operations, they become just another corporate initiative rather than authentic cultural evolution. The critical failure point occurs when organizations delegate culture-building to HR or L&D while senior leaders remain disengaged, creating what psychologists call “value-action gaps” where stated priorities don’t match demonstrated behaviors.
The Coaching Mindset Difference
What separates leaders like the article’s “Jordan” from traditional managers is their adoption of a coaching mindset focused on development rather than direction. This approach recognizes that sustainable performance comes from energized, engaged teams rather than burned-out compliance. The most effective leaders understand that remembering “Waffles the dog” or checking on a parent’s recovery isn’t distraction from work—it’s fundamental to creating the psychological safety that enables risk-taking, innovation, and honest communication about challenges before they become crises.
Building Sustainable Connection Cultures
The challenge for organizations isn’t starting connection initiatives but sustaining them. Like any cultural transformation, connection requires what behavioral scientists call “stacking”—small, consistent actions that become automatic over time. The most successful organizations embed connection into existing workflows rather than adding new programs: starting meetings with genuine check-ins, training managers in active listening, and creating accountability systems that reward connection-building alongside traditional performance metrics. This approach prevents the initiative fatigue that plagues many culture-change efforts.
Measuring What Matters
If connection truly drives 70% of engagement, organizations need better ways to measure it beyond annual surveys. Forward-thinking companies are implementing pulse checks on psychological safety, tracking manager quality through upward feedback, and using network analysis to understand relationship patterns across teams. These metrics help identify which leaders, like the article’s example from Jordan, are effectively building connection cultures and which need development—creating the accountability that ensures connection becomes embedded rather than episodic.
The Future of Connected Leadership
As hybrid work becomes permanent, the skills highlighted in the Forbes analysis will become increasingly critical. Connection in distributed environments requires more intentionality than in co-located settings, making the multiplier effect even more valuable. Organizations that master this will see competitive advantages in retention, innovation, and adaptability—while those that treat connection as optional will struggle with disengagement and turnover. The leaders who understand that small moments create big cultural shifts will define the next era of successful organizations.
