Real Success, Leadership & Using Language to Change Your Life – Eric Termeunde
The Most Important Leadership Quality
When I asked Eric what leadership traits he thinks are most important, he gave me a quick reply—empathy. Not your typical answer, right?
Eric goes on to explain that empathy is an important leadership quality because good leaders care. They care about making a difference in people’s lives. They want to create an environment where their employees are happy and have a sense of belonging. The fact of the matter is that the people who actually care are the ones that make the biggest difference.
Steve Jobs once said, “If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.” I think we all know that is true.
Technology Changes Everything
As we discussed leadership, our conversation quickly shifted to technology. It’s no secret that workplace dynamics have been changing rapidly in the past decade as more people are working from home and remote teams are popping up everywhere.
Technology can be an advantage in the workspace, but there are problems that come with it as well. Working remotely can cause people to lose their sense of belonging—they can quickly feel isolated and lonely.
Eric reminds us that we need to get back to basics. At the end of the day, there are three essential needs all humans have; food, shelter, and water. If you take it a step further, the next need is safety. And if you take it one more step further, people need a sense of belonging.
The reality is that technology is taking away that sense of belonging and it will soon be the job of our leaders to bring it back.
Look at the Numbers
As Eric points out in our episode, loneliness numbers are off the charts in today’s society. People are losing that sense of belonging. And he believes technology is to blame.
The average American is spending 3.5 to 4 hours per day on their cell phone—that adds up to 12 years over a lifetime! They are in front of a screen for ten hours per day. The less face time we get within our organizations and homes, the more lonely we are. It’s a pretty clear correlation.
All this screen time clearly has adverse effects on our health and our minds, but it also creates problems in the workspace. Eric points out that if he feels his phone vibrate during a conversation—like the one we were having—he is now thinking about his phone and loses focus on what’s going on around him. I think we all can relate to that.
Not only do these distractions hurt our productivity and efficiency, but there are clearly some far-reaching implications. The more we lose focus on what’s going on around us, the less our interactions seem to matter, the more we lose our sense of place and sense of belonging. It’s a slippery slope.
Be the Change You Wish to See in the World
The most effective future leaders will be the ones that realize the necessity of bringing people together, connecting on a deeper level, and creating a sense of belonging. The key is understanding how much of a crutch technology is, rather than a tool.
And in order to create those deeper, more meaningful connections, Eric believes that we need to start that conversation ourselves. If you interact with ten people everyday, you can create that change by turning off the distractions and connecting with the people in your life. If we bring calmness, presence, and intention to all of our conversations throughout the day, we can create a ripple effect that will first make incremental, then exponential change.
Language and More
In addition to discussing leadership and technology, Eric and I jam on entrepreneurship, what it means to be successful, and … language, oddly enough. We dive into how language impacts the way we interact with people—whether it’s work related or in our personal relationships.
Eric has some serious credentials when it comes to entrepreneurship, but he’s also just a super interesting person to talk to. This is definitely an episode you don’t want to miss.
Guest Bio: Eric Termuende
Eric Termuende is on a mission to change our collective mindset about work. He wants to change the way we talk about work and how we get fulfillment from it.
Eric is a best-selling author, speaker, and entrepreneur. He’s the co-founder of NOW! Innovations and lead content strategist for True Calling Canada. He was recognized as one of The Top 100 Emerging Innovators Under 35 globally by American Express, and also sat as Community Integration Chair for Global Shapers Calgary—a community that functions under the World Economic Forum. He is the former Canadian G20 YEA Delegate, where he represented Canada in Syndey during 2014. And he is also currently signed by the National Speakers Buereau—he travels the world talking about the future of work and having multiple generations in the workplace.
In his personal life, Eric is training to complete his first half Ironman with a handful of his friends. He has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world and has some incredible insights, as you’ll find out in our episode.
Eric’s book: Rethink Work: Finding and Keeping the Right Talent
Personal website: EricTermuende.com
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Editing & Mixing by: Aaron Johnson