Connectional Intelligence: The Power Skill Behind Big Results
Cathie Leimbach • December 9, 2025
In Erica Dhawan’s book, Get Big Things Done, she defines Connectional Intelligence as the ability to combine knowledge, networks, and relationships to drive meaningful results. In today’s busy workplace, it’s not just what you know—it’s how well you connect that turns good ideas into big outcomes.
Strong Connectional Intelligence within a team strengthens workplace morale and productivity by impacting four key attributes of high-performance cultures:
- Value Visibly – People perform better when they know their contributions matter. Leaders who highlight strengths, acknowledge effort, and celebrate progress create a culture where great work becomes contagious.
- Communicate Carefully – In an age of nonstop messages, clarity is a competitive advantage. Thoughtful communication reduces confusion, prevents conflict, and ensures that everyone moves forward with shared understanding.
- Collaborate Confidently – Connectional Intelligence flourishes when people feel empowered to contribute. Confident collaboration means inviting diverse perspectives, leveraging individual superpowers, and creating space for smart problem-solving.
- Trust Totally – Trust is the anchor of all high-performing teams. When leaders show reliability, transparency, and empathy, people take risks, share ideas, and stay aligned toward common goals.
Connectional Intelligence helps teams innovate faster, break down silos, and accomplish what truly matters.
Want to learn more? Visit Erica Dhawan’s website to explore her full body of work and deepen your understanding of Connectional Intelligence.
When things feel “manageable,” leaders often continue with status quo. People are busy. Work gets done. But small issues quietly add up. Rework becomes normal. Deadlines stretch. Decisions take longer. None of it feels like a crisis, but together it eats away at time, energy, and profit. Inconsistent leadership makes it worse. When expectations change from day to day or from one manager to another, people stop giving their best. Some coast. Some get frustrated. Some start looking elsewhere. Turnover rises, along with hiring and training costs. The warning signs are usually right in front of us: Work keeps getting redone. Managers avoid tough conversations around poor performance. Good people are doing less than they could. Progress feels slower than it should. The real question isn’t, “Can we live with this?” It’s, “What is this costing us if nothing changes?” 👉 Join our 60-minute Leadership Conversation to explore how today’s patterns may be impacting your results — and what small shifts could make a big difference.
Many leaders feel things are mostly on track. Goals are set. Meetings happen. People stay busy. On the surface, it all looks fine . But underneath, small cracks often tell a different story. You may notice work getting redone, decisions slowing down, or people quietly avoiding ownership. These aren’t just workflow problems. They’re leadership signals — and they’re easy to miss when everyone is moving fast. Leaders often believe they’ve been clear. They think people know what’s expected and who owns what. And they assume that if something was wrong, someone would speak up. But in real life, expectations get interpreted in different ways. Ownership can feel risky. And many people stay silent just to keep the peace. That gap between what leaders intend and what teams experience is where performance starts to slip. A few simple questions can help reveal what’s really going on: · Where is work quality lacking? · What decisions keep getting stuck? · Where do leaders step in instead of letting others own it? Start noticing those patterns. They point to exactly where stronger leadership can make the biggest difference. 👉 See what a 10–15% leadership shift could mean for your bottom line. View the Leadership ROI Chart .