Tag: books

Categories
Engagement

Employee Engagement Limbo: How Low Will They Go?

Why do so many organizations claim to embrace employee engagement, yet stop short of actually doing anything about it?

In organizations where employee engagement garners more lip service than action, employees find themselves doing a workplace limbo dance. They get under management’s limbo stick by doing the minimum to appear engaged without breaking their backs. At the same time, they may be craning their necks to see what other jobs are available in the market. It’s a difficult balancing act.

Employee engagement author and consultant Leigh Branham explains:

“The main reason most CEOs don’t aggressively tackle the employee disengagement issue … is that it appears ‘soft’ and overwhelmingly difficult (soft = hard) to do so. After all, in many cases it would mean a complete overhauling of the culture. Most CEOs, especially in public companies, would much rather, in their board room discussions, deal with the nearer-term topic of how to increase quarterly profits. The irony is, of course, that the surest way to increase profits is to build a culture where engaged employees consistently exceed customer expectations.”

As the limbo song asks, “How low can you go?” For employees, the answer depends on their tolerance levels. Employees can bend backwards for only so long before decide to withdraw and quit the game … and the organization.

 

 

Categories
Engagement

What Do You Plan to Draw in 2012?

To start off the new year, here’s a gem I found in David Zinger’s book of poems on workplace engagement, Assorted Zingers. (Note: David’s book – with great cartoons by John Junson – is now available in both print and e-book editions.)

Napkin futures
by David Zinger

Tabling strategy.
Gel pens drawn
during fast food lunch
sparking napkin artistry.
Ink bleeds
arrows, word, and stick figures
into thin paper.
Absorbing both
strategic thinking
and mustard drips
oozing from the overflowing cheeseburger.
It is going to be a good year.

Categories
Engagement

Lament of the Disengaged

Here’s another one of my favorite engagement poems from David Zinger’s book, Assorted Zingers. Many of us have experienced these feelings at one time or another in our work lives.
Payday
by David Zinger

When did it become
the way of work
to hate
our work
our organization
and our peers?

The daily distaste for work
crumbled our contributions
into gritty crumbs
lacking nourishment
for body, soul and self.

Is this what we get paid for?

Categories
Engagement Marketing

Tribute to Bob Wood

This weekend, I lost a hero. I share my sorrow with the Lehigh Valley PA community in the loss of a beloved friend and philanthropist: Bob Wood.

Bob was the former Chairman of Wood Dining Services, a large regional food service management company based in Allentown PA.  Prior to becoming part of Sodexho, Wood Dining Services employed more than 15,000 people serving more than 500 accounts in 28 states – with an impressive 99% client retention rate!

I had the privilege of working for The Wood Company many years ago as a training consultant and learned of the company’s people-first commitment. Bob was the epitome of an engaged and engaging leader who truly cared about his employees and customers. He maintained a corporate culture that was best described on the back of one of the birthday cards it sent to employees:

“The Wood Company’s recipe for success is developing and nurturing its people. We value and understand the difference they can make in pleasing our customers. We believe in celebrating our people’s success and important events in their lives.”

Making people feel valued

I interviewed Bob for my first book, Taking Care of the People Who Matter Most: A Guide to Employee Customer Care.  Bob & company were featured in a chapter on how internal marketing could be woven through “ordinary, everyday activities rather than extraordinary events.” Internal marketing wasn’t a distinctive approach practiced at The Wood Company – it was something Bob did intuitively.

Here is one of my favorite stories about Bob and the power of employee recognition. Bob spent a lot of time in the field visiting clients and staff. In his pocket he carried a handful of small gold plastic pins in the shape of pineapples, the international symbol for hospitality that was also part of the Wood Company’s brand. Whenever he saw an employee doing something right, he gave that person a gold pineapple pin. Bob said he never ceased to be amazed at the employees’ reaction when he gave out the pineapple pins.

“I think these pins cost 47 cents … but these people think you gave them a pile of gold. Everyone wants to be part of something … everyone wants to feel that they are valued, that they made a difference. To the degree we can celebrate our people, that’s our greatest tool.”

In making people feel that they mattered, Bob, you made an incredible difference. I am honored to have known you and will continue to celebrate your memory in my book and workshops.

Categories
Engagement

Nonprofit Employees: When Passion for the Mission isn’t Enough

I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot lately, especially working on my book about nonprofit employee and volunteer engagement. Despite their well-intentioned commitment, sometimes staff members (and volunteers) get frustrated with a nonprofit organization and reach the point where passion for the mission and meaningful connection are no longer enough to convince them to stay. In other words, once engaged doesn’t mean always engaged.

Why People Become Disengaged

People don’t stay committed to an organization when they:

1. Feel overwhelmed with too many or conflicting management directives

2. Don’t understand what the organization is all about and what is expected of them

3. Are afraid that their work isn’t valued

4. Don’t see how the various parts of the organization connect in the “big picture”

5. Don’t share a sense of ownership in the organization, including being involved in solving problems and offering ideas. [Source: The Art of Engagement]

High turnover and low morale are signs of a disconnected, disengaged workplace run by complacent management or the clueless-in-charge. And the damage isn’t confined to the internal organization – customers, donors, volunteers and other external stakeholders are aware of, and possibly affected by, employees who disengage at work.

Can you hear me now?

A nonprofit professional and her colleagues were increasingly frustrated, discouraged, and disheartened about their work situation which they described as “toxic.” Managers issued frequent conflicting directives and set unrealistic expectations while providing little guidance and insufficient resources to enable staff members to achieve their goals. Management also paid scant attention to staff concerns until a consultant was hired to address the issue of high turnover. At the consultant’s recommendation, management set up a “suggestion box” system to solicit employee feedback and ideas. More than 135 suggestions were turned in the first week, and there were only 30 employees on staff!

If you’re thinking about a “quick fix,” think again

Disengagement and burnout don’t suddenly happen. Most people start off engaged and excited about their work; the erosion occurs gradually based on one or more of the reasons mentioned above. According to Dr. Judith M. Bardwick: “When people are perceived as a cost and not a resource, when they are treated as a liability and not an asset, when no one seems to know or care that they are there, they don’t work well, and they don’t stay.”

 

Categories
Engagement

Which Engagement Path Will You Take?

The following poem was written by David Zinger and is one of my favorites in his new book, Assorted Zingers (with great cartoons by John Junson).

Two roads diverged
by David Zinger

Let me tell you a tale
about the disengaged.
A tell tale sign is
you are told not asked,
you are fringed not foreground,
work is an energy drain,
not an energy gain.
You would rather be anywhere else,
yet you seem stuck in place.
And you have to stray
because of the pension, economy, fear, benefits
or just the plain inertia of it all.

It is time to tell a different tale
where you are connected
in the foreground
gaining energy
and making contributions.
If that tale cannot be told
get your tail out of there.
You only have so many days to work
and when you work in those days
and those days work for you
it makes all the difference.

Categories
Engagement Marketing

What I Did on My Summer (Blog) Vacation

Thank you for your patience during my blog break. What did I accomplish this summer?

Most of my time was spent researching and writing several chapters for my new book on how nonprofits can use internal marketing to engage employees and volunteers. I interviewed colleagues and experts in the field and will connect with more of them this fall.

As part of my research, I read the following books (and I highly recommend them):

In addition to keeping up with my client work, I managed to get in a few days of vacation and enjoyed spending time with friends and family.

Hope you had a great summer!

Categories
Marketing

“Small Message, Big Impact” – A Helpful Guide to the Elevator Speech

A major challenge for most business professionals is mastering the art of the elevator speech – a three minute (or less) introduction that tells people who you are, what you do, and why they should consider doing business with you. I’ve spent many years trying to craft the perfect elevator speech; for me it’s become an ongoing work-in-progress.

That’s why I was interested in Terri L. Sjodin’s new book Small Message, Big Impact that will be released in June 2011. [Disclosure: I received a free advance copy of this book for review.]

Of all the “how-to” books and blog posts I’ve read on this topic to date, Sjodin’s book is one of the most helpful. She describes different types of elevator speeches and the different ways you can use them. She then outlines a practical process to help people craft their own concise messages, including language mechanics such as “speech supports” and “rhetoric devices.” While Sjodin’s explains each step with examples and sample worksheets, it all came together for me at the end of the book where she illustrates the complete process. I also found value in the last chapter entitled “Nuggets of Advice and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions.”

So, have I perfected my elevator speech as a result of reading this book? Not quite yet … but I will get there using the insight and tools shared in Small Message, Big Impact.

Categories
Engagement

Help for “Engaging” Conversations

Here’s a wonderful new resource you can use to initiate internal discussions about employee engagement. And it’s FREE!

Primers for Engaging Conversations, the latest e-book written by members of the Employee Engagement Network (including yours truly), contains more than 50 opening statements and questions you can use as conversation starters.

To whet your appetite, here are just a few of my favorites:

  • “What disincentives to taking initiative would a visitor observe in our company?” (Karl Edwards, p. 9)
  • “Team, now that we have turned the corner and are starting to hire again, what are your ideas for shaking off the gloom of the past couple years and getting everyone engaged, enthused, and energized again?” (Terrence Seamon, p. 11)
  • “What do you as a person and in your role want to contribute to our collective dream?” (Katharina Schmidt, p. 14)
  • “This organization’s mission and initiatives are a collaboration. Only together can we come up with the best way to build our future. Where do you think we should be going next?” (Gordon Schmidt, p. 20)

You can check out the rest of the conversation starter gems here.

 

Categories
Customer service Engagement Marketing

“The Rock and Roll Guide to Customer Loyalty”

Seriously, it’s an e-book about customer service with a rock & roll twist written by Joe Heuer, the Rock and Roll Guru.

I fell in love with The Rock and Roll Guide to Customer Loyalty because it’s a fun read that carries a meaningful message about customer service. As a baby-boomer, I enjoy classic ‘60s music. As an advocate of internal marketing, I also love that Joe gets the value of engaging employees in generating customer loyalty.

Some of the groovy gems from this complimentary e-book (yes, it’s free!) include:

  • “Lip-synching: The rock & roll equivalent of the fake customer service smile.”
  • Concerts = encounters with customers, aka moments of truth wherein “your challenge is to create a memorable moment that makes your customer say, ‘WOW!’”
  • Band = employees who are your internal customers and coworkers. “Customer loyalty begins with internal loyalty. … What are you currently doing to make your workplace one that attracts and retains radically happy and loyal band members?”
  • A standing ovation = appreciation. “Be outrageous in demonstrating your love and appreciation for your customers … [and] internal customers.”

And my favorite quote: “Treating your internal customers like rock stars goes beyond providing red M&M’s and Dom Perignon. But that’s a good start.”

Pass around those M&Ms and champagne, and rock on!

[Note: Special thanks to Phil Gerbyshak for introducing me to Joe.]