Building an engaged workforce is perhaps the biggest challenge today’s employers face. The benefits are many—increased customer loyalty, profits, productivity and safety, to name a few—yet it can be tough to lead a workforce that maintains consistently high levels of passion and motivation.
This
A to Z list about engagement from an employee’s perspective will
help leaders determine where to focus their attention. Armed with these
insights, you will be well on your way to developing the engaged
workforce that create consistently great customer experiences.
Ask : Ask
me questions, ask me for ideas, or ask me to participate. Ask me how we
can improve the customer experience. You will grab my attention and
begin the process of engaging my heart, mind and spirit.
Behave: How
you behave towards me, my co-workers and those we interact with tells
me a great deal. When you treat us like adults and contributors, we can
move forward.
Treat me the way you'd want me to treat the customer and other stakeholders
Treat
me as overhead, a resource, or human capital (whatever that is), and I
will drift off to another place. Yelling, screaming or ignoring
me—except when I mess up—won’t work either. "Seagull" style managers
don't earn my whole-hearted commitment.
Communicate and collaborate: If
you want me to be engaged, help me understand what’s going on in the
company. Tell me what led to or shaped our decisions. In other words,
communicate with me. It’s from this foundation that you, me and others
on our team can work together to clarify opportunities and determine how
we will succeed. Let’s collaborate.
Deliver: When
you make promises or say you’ll get back to me on something, please
remember to deliver. You will build credibility and trust. If we can
rely on you, rest assured you can rely on us.
Encourage and empower: This
is actually a simple concept. When you tell me I did something well, I
smile more. I learn, and carry that perspective forward. Let me know
that you trust me to get the job done in the way that makes the most
sense to me. Encouragement and empowerment are keys to keeping me
engaged.
Feedback: Tell
me how I’m doing. And not just once or twice a year—all the time. Tell
me when you like what I’ve done; tell me what didn’t work and why.
Providing both positive and constructive feedback regularly will help me
improve. Share formal and informal customer survey results. You’ll be
surprised at what I will achieve.
Goals: Provide
me with goals I can work toward. Better yet, let me in on developing
goals that make sense to me, our team, the customer experience and the
company.
Hello. How are you? Stop
by now and then to say hello and ask how I’m doing. Ask about my family
or just talk a little. Did you know I play golf? It couldn’t be
simpler. It shows you care, and more important, helps build the bond we
need to enjoy our time at work.
Integrity: Earn it, keep it, and reap the rewards. I’ll do the same and so will our teammates. Just imagine the possibilities.
Journey: Just
like the company, I’m on a journey. Let’s find a way to connect the
two. It will take some work, of course. You’ll need to get to know me a
little. Find out what you can about my goals, ambitions, hopes, dreams,
and where I hope my journey will lead me.
Find
out who I am outside of work, too. I will return the favor by getting
to know you. Remember to also share the company’s journey. Only then
will engaging me become possible.
Knowledge: Share
what you know with us employees, and allow us to share what we know
with you. Make sure we share amongst ourselves as a team. Then, help us
apply that knowledge in a way that leads to success.
Listen: Actively
listen. Listen with your ears, eyes and mind. Let me know what you
heard to make sure that is what I intended to say. When you do that, you
will be surprised by what you learn.
Listen to me the way you'd want me to listen to the customer and other stakeholders
Meaning: My
work has to have meaning, because I’m here for much more than a
paycheck or social time. I want to contribute. Work with me to build
that meaning and link it with our goals. Then you’ll really begin to
capture my heart, mind and spirit.
Notice: Take
notice of what I do and how I do it. Better yet, take notice of what
our team does both individually and collectively, and give us credit for
our efforts and achievements. Don’t forget that taking notice includes
letting me know you did.
Opportunity: Use
what you know about me to consider opportunities for me to get involved
in other areas. From special assignments, leadership roles, and
cross-organizational work to training and development, I appreciate the
chance to deepen my capabilities and contributions.
Passion: Show me yours and I’ll show you mine.
Questions: Ask,
consider, answer, probe and challenge. Questions are the gateway to
deeper levels of awareness, understanding, knowledge and potential. Ask,
"How can I help?" and see me soar.
Recognition, rewards and relationships: Let’s
redefine the three Rs. Recognize what I do and reward me appropriately.
Build a relationship with me on a professional and personal level.
Forget the three Rs at your own peril.
Smile: A smile really goes a long way. Try one on for size and you might be surprised by how far it goes.
Smile at me the way you'd want me to smile at the customer and other stakeholders
Trust: Showing
that you trust me and giving me a reason to trust you is perhaps the
most important of the ABCs. Without trust, the rest is meaningless.
Remember that we earn trust over time. While it’s not hard to earn, it’s
very hard to get back once we lose it.
Unify our team: Work
with us as a team and let us work on our own as a team. There is a
difference. Allow us to work together to build a shared vision and set
our goals. Let us have ownership and participate in the way that makes
the most sense to us. Let us share our hopes, dreams and fears with each
other so we can work together.
Victory: It’s
important to us that you celebrate our wins, whether they’re large,
small or anywhere in between. It lets us know our efforts paid off, that
you care, and that you notice.
We: As the saying goes, many hands lighten the load. Let us in on what’s happening and we can succeed together.
X-traordinary: The results we can achieve by working together will be extraordinary.
“Yes and,” not “yes but”: When
you say, “Yes, but...” our conversations and my creativity shut down.
Next time, try “Yes, and...” You’ll be surprised by where it may lead
and how it will make me feel.
Zenith: If you follow the ABCs of employee engagement, my full potential and commitment will be yours and our customers and other stakeholders will be wow'd.
Be curious and stay hungry,
Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT
Take the Next Step...
Interested
in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability,
culture, and employee engagement? We begin with a collaborative
discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To
request an interview with Peter Mclees please
contact: Email: petercmclees@gmail.com or Mobile: 323-854-1713
Smart
Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers,
ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food
production facilities, wealth management services, third-party maintenance providers, real estate services,
nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong
culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork
necessary for growth.
Having worked with several companies
throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies
that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company
achieve sustained growth and prosperity.
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