EP 161: Why High Performers Don’t Always Make a High-Performing Team with Jamie Shapiro

What does connection mean to you? How do you know when you're feeling connected?Connection is foundational to building trust, and trust is an essential quality that any team or relationship needs to grow.Yet in many relationships, both personally and professionally, we tolerate disconnection. We miss the early signals of missed deadlines, the subtle cues of quiet resentment, and the team that’s compliant and even productive, but not engaged.  Until disconnection creates the distrust, the dis-ease, and the erosion of psychological safety that, left unchecked, hijacks even the strongest relationships, teams, and organizations.Leaders and their teams need to not only learn to identify markers of disconnection early, but to also develop the skills to repair it. The goal isn’t a team that never ruptures. It’s a team that knows how to reconnect.That’s why I’m so excited to talk with my guest today about her work that integrates well-being science, positive psychology, and systems-level leadership to help organizations uncover what it takes to build connected, thriving teams where well-being and high performance can truly coexist.Jamie Shapiro, PhD, is a Keynote Speaker, Master Certified Executive Coach, organizational psychologist, researcher and the CEO of Connected EC. Jamie’s approach blends science, strategy, and lived leadership experience to her work with CEOs and executive teams navigating growth, complexity, and cultural transformation.Jamie is the author of Brilliant: Be the Leader Who Shines Brightly Without Burning Out and Connected Culture: The New Science for Thriving Teams and Cultures. She is also the founder of the Leader and Organization Vitality (LOV) Center, a research institute that advances the science of leadership vitality, culture, and performance and bridges the gap between research and real-world practice.Listen to the full episode to hear: How Jamie’s personal experience with cycles of burnout in the corporate world informs her research and coaching practiceThe physical, mental, and emotional impacts of trust and connection on teamsWhy Jamie’s model for thriving teams has trust, care, and connection at its coreWhat corporate culture consistently gets wrong about candid communication and the number one way to improve itWhat we can learn from chickens about building high-performing teamsHow psychological safety and connection positively drive performanceLearn more about Jamie Shapiro:Connected ECConnect on LinkedInBrilliant: Be The Leader Who Shines Brightly Without Burning OutConnected Culture: The New Science for Thriving Teams and CulturesLearn more about Rebecca:rebeccaching.comWork With RebeccaThe Unburdened Leader on SubstackSign up for the weekly Unburdened Leader EmailResources:Links The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené BrownLoneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection, John T Cacioppo and William PatrickThe Neuroscience of Trust, Paul J. Zak | Harvard Business ReviewThe Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth, Amy C. EdmondsonRight Use of Power InstituteShaping Power for Good: Wayfinding to Right Relationship, Amanda AguileraSuper-Chicken ModelJust One Word: The Surprisingly Simple Method to Discover Your Purpose and Unleash Your Power, Erin WeedILLENIUMOff CampusVoicemails for IsabelleSixteen CandlesChapters:(00:22) - Introduction (07:33) - New Book and Career Pivot (11:33) - Support Systems (13:38) - Burnout to Vitality Research (16:10) - Trust Fuels Team Energy (21:29) - Connection Model and Accountability (24:36) - Defining candid communication (27:59) - Psychological Safety Reframed (30:00) - Listening and Power Dynamics (32:58) - High Performer Chicken Study (37:46) - From Doing To Being (41:21) - Safety Versus Accountability Myth (48:30) - Defining Leadership (49:52) - Quick Fire Questions (55:51) - How to Connect (56:35) - Closing Thoughts