Connection
One of the six sense making disciplines
In Leadership, Rewritten, Richard Claydon argues that flexibility in teams is sustained through disciplined repetition. When stabilising work is maintained, systems retain range. When it is neglected under pressure, strain accumulates and fragmentation follows.
The six disciplines are the same six that Richard identifies: clarity, coherence, connection, collaboration, cooperation and curiosity. If clarity reduces ambiguity and coherence reduces fragmentation, connection shapes the conditions under which collective sense making can occur. Without it, interpretation narrows.
Connection is the third of the six sense making disciplines.
Connection
In schools, disconnection manifests subtly:
silence in meetings
guarded conversations
compliance without commitment
energy draining into private conversations rather than shared ones
Connection is produced through deliberate relational acts, exercised repeatedly and made visible to others. In complex systems, leaders cannot demand trust, but they can create conditions in which trust becomes more likely.
The connection discipline contains core strategies that strengthen relational capacity so that sense making remains collective.
Forced fun
Leaders practising connection sometimes introduce lightness deliberately. Short, structured moments of humour or play disrupt hierarchy and soften status boundaries. These moments are rarely profound but they are often catalytic. Without relational warmth, systems become efficient but brittle. Forced fun is not about entertainment. It is about signalling psychological safety.
In practice
Begin occasional meetings with a low stakes personal prompt
Use shared humour to reduce hierarchy, not reinforce it
Keep it short and purposeful rather than elaborate
Celebrate the humblest of tasks
Recognition often gravitates toward visible success. Connection deepens when leaders notice and name the quiet, routine work that sustains the system. Celebrating humble tasks signals that contribution matters at every level. When everyday effort goes unseen, relational trust erodes. People feel instrumental rather than valued. Acknowledging ordinary work reinforces shared identity.
In practice
Thank colleagues for routine but essential work
Rotate recognition beyond high profile roles
Link small acts to larger purpose
Champion others with stories
Stories travel faster than policies. Leaders practising connection amplify examples of thoughtful practice, resilience or collaboration. They tell stories that make values concrete and contributions visible. Stories create shared reference points. They humanise abstract strategy and connect individuals to collective purpose. Without narrative reinforcement, there is a risk that strategy remains impersonal.
In practice
Share brief examples of colleagues living shared values
Use stories to connect local action to school direction
Attribute credit generously and specifically
Vulnerability (leader goes first)
Connection strengthens when leaders model openness. Leaders practising this strategy acknowledge uncertainty, mistakes or learning in progress. This does not diminish authority; it signals that sense making is shared rather than controlled. When leaders remain guarded, others follow suit. Conversation narrows, risk taking declines. Vulnerability widens the space in which honest interpretation can occur.
In practice
Admit when you do not have a full answer
Reflect openly on a misjudgement and what was learned
Invite critique before offering defence
Why these strategies matter
These connection strategies perform relational work. They protect the social conditions necessary for collective interpretation, sustaining the relational infrastructure through which collective judgement flows.When connection is weak, coherence becomes brittle and clarity becomes compliance. People may appear aligned, but sense making becomes private and defensive.
How to use the connection strategies
These strategies are most useful when conversation feels guarded, when disagreement becomes personal, or when teams comply outwardly but disengage inwardly. They are not morale boosters to deploy occasionally; they are relational habits that widen participation and strengthen trust. Their phrasing is intentionally simple; they are designed to humanise systems that can otherwise become procedural.
Used well, they:
lower defensive responses
widen participation in interpretation
strengthen commitment without coercion
Practical guidance
Model vulnerability before expecting openness
Make recognition specific rather than generic
Keep relational interventions short and consistent
Treat connection as infrastructure, not atmosphere
Connection is much more than ‘nice to have’ moments, It makes clarity and coherence sustainable:
Clarity establishes focus.
Coherence sustains alignment.
Connection strengthens trust.
In the next post, I’ll explore Collaboration; the discipline that expands collective thinking beyond individual perspective.
I particularly appreciate the emphasis on disciplined repetition. None of these strategies are dramatic. Short prompts. Specific thanks. Brief stories. Small admissions of uncertainty. But done consistently, they widen participation and protect collective sense-making.
The point about celebrating humble tasks feels especially important in schools. So much essential work is invisible. Naming it links daily effort to shared purpose — and that’s where commitment deepens.
Connection isn’t about being warm for the sake of it. It’s about sustaining the conditions in which honest conversation and shared judgement can actually happen.