In many organizations there are employees who not only serve customers, they ARE customers. These “internal” customers are employees who rely on the information and resources provided by fellow employees who work in support functions such purchasing, HR, accounting, IT/information, etc. The level of quality service and support that “internal” customers receive from them impacts
One of the most amazing clients I’ve had the privilege and joy of collaborating with for 25 years recently retired. I wish there were more managers like her because it would mean more engaged and productive workplaces. Let me tell you why. Peg helped grow a successful university distance education department, having started at a time when
That’s the message some people in executive and management positions send their employees. I’ve heard this many times, and here’s how it plays out. New employees starting with a company are likely to receive a fair amount of attention through orientation and on-boarding. This attention wanes, however, the longer employees are on the job. From
Workplace engagement is a both a responsibility and choice shared by employees and employers: Employees are responsible for their own engagement in that they choose to show up in their jobs ready, willing, and able to do their best work, and Employers are responsible for choosing to foster an engaging workplace where employees are enabled
“Mission matters. The people behind the mission also matter, and their passion for the mission can never be taken for granted.” [from Share of Mind, Share of Heart: Marketing Tools of Engagement for Nonprofits.] This is why engaging
I found this in my “Smile” file and thought it worth sharing. It goes way beyond engagement (to say the least!) and will make you either laugh or cry – hopefully the former. “I love my job, I love the pay! I love it more and more each day. I love my boss he is
When it comes to management and organizational dysfunction, there’s little that surprises me anymore. Asking a colleague about work, I got this description of the company’s new president: “I know all about his first marriage, his second marriage, his grandchildren, etc., but he doesn’t know anything about me. He dominates executive meetings with his talking
My recent post about Zoltan Merszei‘s message on organizational strategy included developing a “vision of what’s to come” as “the ultimate insurance of success.” Articulating and sharing a well thought out vision certainly contributes to success, but it’s not enough. It also takes a leader who knows how to effectively engage and connect employees with the leader’s
The yellowing, decades-old piece of paper I found in my files featured this striking advice from Zoltan Merszei, former executive at Occidental Petroleum Corporation and Dow Chemical Company. Merszei wrote it “as a reminder that we need to protect people from too much organization, while never destroying the organization itself.” His message is still relevant: Always
While I travel often for business, my experience staying at the Hyatt Place DFW airport hotel felt different. I was consistently met with genuinely friendly, caring attitudes from all the hotel associates I encountered: from the sales manager who helped me with an extra night’s stay because I needed to arrive early before an impending storm