Hi, Chris - as usual, you have shared insight and wisdom around how we work with each other.

I share your disappointment that we often seem no closer to resolving these workplace issues than we have been in the past.  As you point out wistfully, we know what works best and we have known this for a long time.

Great summary statement and I love the little tartness at the end:

"Engage team members’ hearts by valuing their contributions and ideas, thanking them for their efforts and accomplishments, trusting them to act in alignment, and celebrating traction and successes regularly. It can’t hurt – can it?"

As to why we are not all living in the leadership promised land, I wonder that as well.  It seems that you allude to one important element when you said "They aren’t asked to manage people’s hearts; leaders are incented to drive results."

Leadership occurs at many levels, for better and for worse.   I have often noticed a significantly higher awareness of and desire to engage in positive and effective leadership practices (see your list above) among those in the lower to middle ranks of organizational leadership than in the top levels.

Just like in our society, we have the 98% and the 1% (numbers not accurate, but that is not critical either).  The "98%" might be the majority of those in leadership positions, while the "1%" represent those at the very top, who have power and authority far beyond their numbers.   Sometimes it seems that the typical front-line leader and the typical CEO are not even inhabiting the same planet ... no wonder that their views on engagement and connection are significantly different.

Thanks for another thought-provoking post:)

John