Mike’s Note: Tim Elmore has been a hero of mine since 2004. His gracious leadership style is found in his blog below on how to reconcile the need for high standards to excel with gracious forgiveness. I see this blog also as an embodiment of Dr. Fons Trompenaars research on reconciling seemingly opposite values that may seem to conflict but when reconciled they make for a better team, organization, or world. Read on.

If you’re a leader who really wants your employees at the office full-time, there may be a new solution: Join a small firm. According to new data, firms with fewer than 5,000 employees are nearly three times as likely to require full-time attendance from their workers as firms with more than 25,000 employees. In all, 23% of smaller firms require full-time office work, while only 8% of the largest firms do.

In today's competitive work environment, if company leaders plan to attract and retain the best talent to elevate their organization's progress and performance levels, it is key for managers to learn how to improve their ability to connect with their team authentically and effectively to generate a bond of trust and empathy that will continue to flourish.