Tag: quotes

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Engagement

Sage Advice for Dealing with Management Turnover

Senior and middle managers leave organizations for many reasons: poor performance, management or board conflicts, retirement, health issues, new opportunities, etc.  The euphoria or disappointment felt by employees soon gives way to uncertainty and anxiety regarding the manager’s replacement if s/he is brought in from another organization. Change can be scary, especially given the unknown of the newcomer’s personality and agenda.

That’s why it’s important to remember the words spoken by the wise knight in Indiana Jones’  The Last Crusade: “choose wisely.”

If you’re in a position to select a manager’s replacement, consider the type of manager recommended by thought leader and academic Henry Mintzberg in his classic (1999) article “Managing Quietly.” He describes managers that:

  • Inspire rather than empower their people by creating a culture with “conditions that foster openness and release energy” so that “empowerment is taken for granted.”
  • Care for their organizations by spending more time “preventing problems than fixing them, because they know enough to know when and how to intervene.”
  • Infuse change so that it “seeps in slowly, steadily, profoundly” instead of dramatically so “everyone takes responsibility for making sure that serious changes take hold.”

For executives and search committees tasked with filling managers’ positions, you don’t want it said that you “chose poorly.”

 

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Engagement

What’s So Special About March 1st?

Besides that we’re inching closer to spring, March 1st is World Compliment Day!

Here’s why I advocate this little known holiday:

“The initiative, in contrast to Valentine’s Day, Secretaries’ Day, and Mother and Father’s Days, is not commercially oriented, so everyone can afford to participate. ‘World Compliment Day’ simply addresses the basic human need for recognition and appreciation. Nobody wins commercially, but everybody gains emotionally. And therein lies its power.”

It’s also easy to participate. The World Compliment Day website features a “Create Award” link to a simple award form template. In just a few minutes you can complete and email or print & deliver the award form to the people you want to recognize.

Regarding employees, colleagues, customers, suppliers, volunteers, donors, friends, family members: acknowledging and affirming people’s value is critical to their engagement.

Who is deserving of your recognition this week?

 

Categories
Engagement

How Many of Your Employees Will Be Looking to Change Jobs This Year?

“Preparing for Take-Off,” a global study on turnover conducted by The Hay Group, forecasts employee turnover will rise sharply in 2014. People considering a job change this year are encouraged by reports of a growing competition for talent spurred by the global economy.

If they haven’t done so already, executives and managers need to ask themselves: Who in the organization is most likely to leave? Hint: it’s not always the employees you’re happy to see exit.  And who is most likely to stay? It’s not always the top performers you rely on. What managers perceive as employee loyalty may simply be an employee’s lack of opportunity up to this point.

“With retention a growing concern for organizations – not just for key high performing employees, but also core employees – understanding the factors that drive commitment and loyalty is essential for managing increasing turnover risks in the months and years ahead. Now is the time for organizations to understand where they stand on and tackle these influences, to keep employees from taking flight.”  Mark Royal, The  Hay Group senior principal and co-author of The Enemy of Engagement.

 

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Engagement

Will 2014 Be The Year of the Employee?

Yes, according to Josh Bersin’s predictions on talent, leadership and HR, based on the results of Deloitte’s Human Capital Trends’ latest global study. Bersin pronounced 2014 as “The Year of the Employee” in which “Attraction, Retention, and Engagement Will Really Matter,” and he’s not alone in his thinking. A renewed focus on talent management is echoed by Scott Hebner, IBM’s VP of Social Business:

“In a world were employees move from job to job at a rapid pace, when it comes to human capital, loyalty trumps everything. Organizations are searching for a means to not only recruit the right candidates, but more importantly retain and nurture that talent to become passionate, engaged and loyal.”

Forecasting a sharp rise in employee turnover in 2014, Hay Group senior principal, Mark Royal, advocates:

“To keep high value employees from leaving in search of more favorable work arrangements, firms must address engagement and enablement challenges.”

Many HR researchers cite the growth of the global economy and technology in fueling strong competition for talent. Yet effective engagement is a challenge as Bersin notes:

“Companies have reduced costs, restructured, rationalized spending, and pushed people to work harder than ever. More than 60% of organizations tell us one of their top [concerns] is dealing with ‘the overwhelmed employee.'”

Competing for talent isn’t new. What I find most encouraging, however, is the renewed focus on attracting, engaging, and retaining people.

So will 2014 really be the year of the employee or just wishful thinking? We’ll see …

Categories
Engagement

Favorite Employee Engagement and Leadership Quotes

In my first book on employee engagement, I described the positive impact of “leaders who genuinely care about their customers and the people (employees) who serve them … leaders whose core values recognize that both groups matter and who integrate these values in their culture and operations.”

The practice and study of employee engagement has grown immensely since then with many respected consultants and authors contributing to the field. Here are several of my favorite quotes that capture the essence of leadership and engagement.

“Engagement, at its heart, is a 21st century form of leadership aimed specifically at connecting people to organizational results, an issue of growing importance in the era of social-networking.” – Bruce Bolger

“Leadership rests on a new foundation and the skills this requires are changing: managing complex situations, communication and coaching, ability to elicit employee commitment and collaboration, and an ability to forge partnerships and foster the development of talent.” Jean-Baptiste Audrerie

” … great leadership at the top doesn’t amount to much if you don’t have exceptional leadership at the unit level. That’s where great things get done.” Jim Collins

” … if you want to create a workplace that changes people’s lives and the way business is done, that leads to products and services that are mind-numbingly innovative and powerful, culture can’t be a device. For it to be lived, you’re going to have to open your heart to the people around you and engage both their intelligence and their confusion with equal confidence.” Susan Piver

“Creating a meaningful workplace is about establishing a high-order connection with employees and benefiting from the compounding effect that comes from a constant stream of meaningful experiences tied directly to the needs, beliefs, interests, and aspirations of employees.” Jerry Holtaway

Additional employee engagement and leadership quotes
Please help me expand this post by sharing your favorite quote(s) on this topic. I welcome your input!

 

Categories
Engagement Marketing

Favorite Quotes on the Employee Engagement and Brand Connection

It’s a fairly simple equation – as hotelier Bill Marriott once said, “Take care of your employees and they’ll take care of your customers.”

Here are more of my favorite quotes about the employee engagement and brand connection:

“More than any other communications medium, employees can breathe life, vitality, and personality into the brand.”  Leonard L. Berry and A. Parasuraman, Marketing Services

“Brands are built from within … [they] have very little to do with promises made through advertising. They’re all about promises met by employees.”  Ian Buckingham

“The only reason your business is successful is because every interaction between employees and customers is positive. This only happens when employees are treated super well.”  Ann Rhoades

“Happiness in the workplace is a strategic advantage. Service comes from the heart, and people who feel cared for will care more.”  Hal G. Rosenbluth, The Customer Comes Second

“Over time, as we focused more and more on our culture, we ultimately came to the realization that a company’s culture and a company’s brand are really just two sides of the same coin. The brand is just a lagging indicator of a company’s culture.”  Tony Hsieh, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

“If you begin your branding process by declaring an ‘aspirational brand’ without aligning it with the reality of employees’ daily work experience, you are in danger of writing a check your culture can’t cash.”  Leigh Branham and Mark Hirschfeld, Re-Engage

Whose words of inspiration on employee engagement and the brand do you like?
I welcome your favorite quotes on this topic.

Categories
Training & Development

Staff Meetings 101: A Guide for Younger Employees

Undercurrents in the workplace are conspiring against face-to-face staff meetings. Organizations seem to hold fewer of them, due to time constraints or a preference for the expediency of electronic communication. A growing generation of high school and college grads are entering the workforce with finely-honed texting and screen-time skills, but less experience in face-to-face interaction. In addition, corporate “soft-skills” training programs in management development and organizational communications have been waylaid by reduced budgets.

Despite this gloomy scenario, face-to-face meetings will never become extinct. So here’s a quick guide to help younger employees and/or those new to the workforce effectively participate in (and eventually conduct) productive staff meetings.

  • Know the reason for the meeting BEFORE you attend; if this info isn’t available, ask the meeting leader to clarify the meeting’s purpose. It’s a waste of peoples’ valuable time if they’re not told the reason for the meeting. The only exception is a special meeting called by senior managers to share sensitive information that they’re unable to let employees know about in advance.
  • It’s OK to ask: “What is supposed to happen as a result of this meeting?” For example, is the meeting’s purpose to make a decision? Or clarify issues and concerns as input for decision-making? Asking questions in meetings can be a great strategy to clarify information, probe deeper into issues, and demonstrate that you’ve been listening  – as long as you’re not asking questions just for the sake of asking questions. However, if you’re confused about the discussion, it’s better to speak up than to sit quietly and give the impression you understand when you don’t have a clue. In most cases, if you have a question, so might other people … and they’ll appreciate that you spoke up about it.
  • Be prepared to participate – know whether your role is to provide information, present issues/concerns, exchange ideas, and/or listen so you can take the meeting’s information back to your fellow employees. The more you know what is expected of you, the better you can prepare and contribute to a productive and efficient meeting.
  • Be respectful of everyone’s time; save any small talk during the meeting for the break room or coffee machine. There may be chit chat at the beginning of the meeting while the group warms up, but continuing it during the meeting only wastes time and annoys co-workers (not to mention the meeting leader).
  • It’s good to ask: “What follow up is needed? Who will do what … when?” The answers should confirm and reinforce any follow up that’s expected of you and others. Whenever possible, you want to avoid saying, “I didn’t know I was supposed to do [fill-in-the-blank] after the meeting!”
  • It’s also good to ask: “What, if any, information from this meeting needs to be shared and with whom?” This response should help ensure communication is passed along to others in the company. It will also prevent you from making the major mistake of sharing sensitive or confidential information not meant to be shared.

Besides knowing what to say and do in a staff meeting, it’s helpful to know what NOT to say and do. I’ll cover that in my next post.

 

Categories
Engagement Training & Development

Favorite Employee Engagement Quotes – Part 2

Continuing last week’s post on my favorite engagement quotes, here are several more gems + suggestions on how you can apply them in staff meetings.

“… the most effective way to engage your employees is to treat them like valuable people with skills, not people with valuable skills.” –  NBRI Employee Engagement Infographic

“Employees either benefit or burden every dimension of a company’s existence. The extent to which they deliver one or the other is primarily a function of company culture and leadership’s view of employees’ value to the company.” – Rajendra S. Sisodia, David B. Wolfe, Jagdish N. Sheth, Firms of Endearment.

“The way your employees feel is the way your customers will feel. And if your employees don’t feel valued, neither will your customers.” – Sybil F. Stershic, Taking Care of the People Who Matter Most: A Guide to Employee-Customer Care.

“Culture is about performance, and making people feel good about how they contribute to the whole.” – Tracy Streckenbach interview, Clear Goals Matter More than Mission, The New York Times.

“People want to know they matter and they want to be treated as people. That’s the new talent contract.” – Pamela Stroko in Tanveer Naseer’s blog post How Leaders are Creating Engagement in Today’s Workplaces.

“Employee engagement is the art and science of engaging people in authentic and recognized connections to strategy, roles, performance, organization, community, relationship, customers, development, energy, and happiness to leverage, sustain, and transform work into results.” – David Zinger, Let’s Co-Create an Employee Engagement Charter, The Employee Engagement Network.

Discuss amongst yourselves …
Here’s how you can use these and last week’s quotes to facilitate a dialog with employees. The following discussion ideas work best in organizations where management is concerned with and committed to employee engagement. However, DO NOT attempt if management is not open to improving employee engagement; such discussion can devolve into a “bitch & gripe” session leading employees to become frustrated, demoralized and even more disengaged.

  • Ask people to share examples of their experiences as customers interacting with companies whose employees are engaged vs. disengaged. Then discuss ideas on how to strengthen employee-customer engagement in your organization.
  • Employees choose a quote they find most meaningful and/or encourage them to create their own quotes. Based on the selected quotes, discuss ways to maximize engagement or minimize disengagement.
  • Present this scenario: everyone has been granted a wish to become CEO of his/her ideal company. Which quote(s) would they use to guide them in managing the organization and why?

Your turn
I invite you to share your favorite quotes on employee engagement. I’d also love to hear how you use them to reinforce engagement in your organization.

Categories
Engagement

Favorite Employee Engagement Quotes – Part 1

There’s a lot of great content written about employee engagement, and I love finding quotes that best capture what engagement is and is not. Here are some of my favorites, listed alphabetically by author. So as not to overwhelm you with too many quotes, I’ll share more in my next post.

“ … employees engage with employers and brands when they’re treated as humans worthy of respect.” – Meghan M. Biro, Your Employees are Engaged … REALLY? Forbes.

“Connect the dots between individual roles and the goals of the organization. When people see that connection, they get a lot of energy out of work. They feel the importance, dignity, and meaning in their job.” – Ken Blanchard and Scott Blanchard, Do People Really Know What You Expect from Them? Fast Company.

“Engaged employees stay for what they give (they like their work); disengaged employees stay for what they get (favorable job conditions, growth opportunities, job security).” – BlessingWhite, The State of Employee Engagement 2008 [updated link]

“It’s sad, really, how a negative workplace can impact our lives and the way we feel about ourselves. The situation is reaching pandemic heights – most people go to work at jobs they dislike, supervised by people who don’t care about them, and directed by senior leaders who are often clueless about where to take the company.”  – Leigh Branham and Mark Hirschfeld, Re-Engage: How America’s Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times.

“Highly engaged employees make the customer experience. Disengaged employees break it.” – Timothy R. Clark, The 5 Ways That Highly Engaged Employees are Different.

“Dispirited, unmotivated, unappreciated workers cannot compete in a highly competitive world.” – Francis Hesselbein, Hesselbein on Leadership.

I’ll share more quotes in next week’s post PLUS how you can apply them to facilitate discussion about employee engagement in your organization.

Categories
Engagement

When Your Business Needs Help: What to Ask and of Whom

You’ve got to love the results of contradictory studies. One day you’re told that salt, eggs, caffeine, or fill-in-the-blank is bad for you. Then later you’re told that it’s not that bad.

Such conflicting advice isn’t limited to health – you also find it in business. For example:

  • Think BIG … Think small.
  • Be innovative … Stick to the knitting (i.e., what you know and do best).
  • Adopt best practices … Use your intuition and make your own path.
  • The devil is in the details … Don’t sweat the small stuff.
  • Plan for the short term … Plan for the long term.

Which advice should you follow?
The answer is relative: whatever makes the most sense for your organization – depending on your industry and your corporate culture/values/stakeholders, etc. To find the answer(s), you can look in-house.

That’s right, I advocate you start with your employees before going to an outside consultant. Why? Because “The insiders of an organization understand the stupidity of its traditions better than the outsiders,” according to successful entrepreneur Andrew Filipowski. He understands that those closest to the situation may have the best ideas for improvement.

If you find yourself in a quandary about what to do to move your organization forward, ask your employees to discuss and share ideas based on their responses to the following questions:

  • What has worked for our organization in the past? … How can we do more of what worked?
  • What hasn’t worked? … How we can do less of what hasn’t worked?
  • What do we need to continue doing?
  • What else do we need to do?

These are simple, yet profound and powerful questions that are solutions-oriented. (Note: you can learn more about this approach in this introduction to “Solutions Focus in Organizations”.)

You have employees who can help, and you have the questions to ask them. What are you waiting for?