Performance Through People
Here we are at the final lesson in my Employee Engagement course, lesson 6. If you haven’t interacted with any of the other lessons, you can find lesson 1 here.
In this final lesson we learn about two skills that, in some ways, may summarize the others. We learn about the Challenge skill called “Optimize” (the right horse in the right spot on the team) and the Connect skill called “Love” (not office romance!).
Welcome back to my Employee Engagement course. This is lesson 5. If this is the first post you’ve seen in the series, you can find lesson 1 here.
Lesson 5 brings us to some skills that can be a little more challenging for leaders but pay huge dividends in Engagement. We learn about the Challenge skill called “Evaluate” (not that annual pencil whipped thing) and the Connect skill called “Trust” (HUGE!).
I have a new word for you in lesson 4 of my Employee Engagement Course. BTW … If this is the first post you’ve seen in this series, you can check out lesson 1 here.
The new word is the Challenge skill called “Qualitize” (it’s a word!) and our Connect skill in this lesson is “Recognize” (not one-size-fits-all).
Well Done! You’ve made it to lesson 3 in my Employee Engagement course. If you’re just getting this for the first time, you can find lesson 1 here.
We round out the first half of the course by learning the Challenge skill called “Inspire” and the Connect skill called “Solicit.”
Here’s lesson 2 in my Employee Engagement course. If you missed lesson 1, you can find it here.
In lesson 2 we learn the Challenge skill of “Equip” (How is that a challenge?), and the Connection skill of “Cultivate” (not actual gardening, but close).
As promised, here is lesson 1 of my course on Employee Engagement. This is the longest of the six lessons (1 Hour) because it includes an introduction to the whole subject from my perspective.
In this lesson, we cover the Challenge skill – Expect (having and setting expectations), and the Connecting skill – Train (really? A connecting skill?) along with our Change your BS and Change your habit sections. Enjoy!
Years ago I started learning about and practicing the art of Employee Engagement. I believe that if you are a business owner or a leader of any kind, engaging your people is the most important thing you should be thinking about in your work. Here’s why. Engaged people stay! Engaged people attract other people like themselves! Engaged people are the ones who give their discretionary time, talent, and energy to making work better.
But, engaged people don’t just happen. You can’t hire someone for their engagement. Engaged people become engaged because someone engaged them. That someone is their leader. That someone is you. But how do you do that? That’s what I’m going to share with you over the next six weeks.
I put together a training program that I’ve called different things over the years. At one time I called it “Best.Boss.Ever. – How to be the Best Boss Your People Will Ever Have.” Lately, I’ve just called it Engager Dynamics. Each of six lessons covers two specific skills. One of those skills teaches you how to challenge your people to become and achieve more than they ever thought possible. The other one teaches you how to connect with your people on a level beyond just the employer/employee relationship. Those two abilities, to challenge and to connect, are what I’ve found to be the essential abilities of a leader who knows how to engage their people.
Each lesson also has a section called “Change your B.S.” That’s belief system, and one called “Change your Habits.” Those sections get at the heart of how to make the skills we discuss part of your Leadership DNA. The lessons are between 30 and 60 minutes long and are in video format. I’ll post one per week starting next Monday. Until then, here are four 5 – 7 minute videos to get you thinking about Employee Engagement and why it matters to you.
Three Myths about Employee Engagement
Three Mistakes People Make about Employee Engagement
Three FAQs about Employee Engagement
Three Keys to Employee Engagement
We see it all the time. How many times have you joked with friends when you point at a table in a restaurant filled with 5 or 6 teens or young adults and every one of them is on their phone? You wonder if they’re having a conversation with each other via text, or what? You have so many human beings around a table to share a meal and not one of them is in the same room! It is an amazing and tragic destroyer of interpersonal connection.
A recent event, though, has prompted me to write this post. Suzi and I were traveling home yesterday from St. Louis where we attended the funeral of a dear friend who died way too soon! We reminisced and mourned the lost opportunities to connect with him in the future while we drove.
As we approached Kansas City, we decided to stop for a bite to eat. We pulled into a Chick-Fil-A and went inside. When we sat down to wait for our meal, we began to notice what was going on around us. To the side of us was a table with two toddler age girls, cute as buttons, sitting with their mom. We knew she was their mom because they called her, “Mom.” Now Mom had done quite a bit of work on her hair, but her little girls … not so much. The sad part of this story, though, is that Mom was on her phone doing God knows what the whole time we were there. Those adorable little girls got almost no attention. One of them got down from the table and went over to the door of the play area. She worked, and pulled, and tugged until she finally got it open only to hear from Mom who had just noticed what was going on, “No, come over here.” She almost got to play! Then she started to push a high chair around. Mom got an idea from that and put her in it. No more roaming around for this one!
Soon a grandma and her granddaughter walked in hand-in-hand, cute! Grandma took her granddaughter over to the play area and opened the door for her little doll. As she went in to play, we overheard grandma say, “Be kind to everyone.” “Wow!” we thought. That was cool. Grandma took a seat behind Suzi facing the play area. After a few seconds, the little granddaughter climbed to the top of the climbing area and quickly looked out the window at grandma her face beaming with delight over her accomplishment. But, grandma was on her phone. The little girl waited for a few seconds to be noticed but grandma never looked up. The little girl’s face fell and with a shrug she turned to continue playing. I wonder if she felt less important than a phone or more alone than she had when she came in. She probably didn’t form those thoughts in her head, but those seeds were planted.
Sitting behind me, Suzi noticed a Dad with his little Auburn-haired daughter. Maybe a daddy-daughter date? Cute. They sat across from each other eating. You guessed it. Dad was on his phone. The little girl’s auburn ponytail bounced around as she chatted to her Dad. He didn’t seem to notice. Really? Now, this story takes a wonderful turn. Dad eventually put down his phone. His little girl came over to his side of the table and sat with him while they worked together on the puzzle that had come in her kid’s meal. Now that’s what I’m talking about!
Like I said at the beginning, we see this all the time. What brought it home to us more powerfully this time was the realization we were experiencing from our friend’s funeral (not to mention a dear aunt I just lost and a great friend who was the husband of Suzi’s cousin) that life is too short. Don’t waste opportunities.
Parents, please put down your phones. I guarantee you will find in your children more entertainment than any Tic Toc video, more connection than any online instant message, and more education than any training program. You will have to engage them, to be active because relationship is inter-ACTIVE. Read to your kids, play with them, point out interesting things and people in their environment. Let the level of that interaction develop as they grow, but do it. The return on that investment will be children who love and honor you and who will be there for you when you’re old. Can you say that about any of the online “influencers” you follow?
I haven’t posted in awhile, but I had to comment on this experience. Suzi and I went to the Dairy Queen near the intersection of South Street and Normal Boulevard in Lincoln, NE where we live. It’s an old school walk-up DQ but they’ve enclosed the front where you order. We like this one for several reasons. It’s close to where we live, but it also has cute swings for customers to use while enjoying their treats, and the staff always seem friendly.
On this visit, I noticed their marquis which said, “We have the best employees!” On the door as I went in another sign said, “Employee Appreciation Month.” When I walked up to the counter I said with a big smile, “I appreciate the employees here. You guys are always friendly and you have the best buster bars in town.” There were no less than six young people working inside and they were all busy but every one of them heard me and looked up to smile or laugh.
When a young lady stepped to the register to take my order, I told her what we wanted and then asked, “So, is this a great place to work?”
“Yes it is!” She instantly replied.
“What makes it such a great place to work?” I asked.
One young man who was working at a machine nearby looked up and said, “She likes working with me!” Everyone laughed. That humor and banter told me something about the work culture of that Dairy Queen.
By this time all the staff was migrating to the front of the store as if they all wanted to answer my question. Again, that told me something. Not one of them said anything about the pay or even the hours. Another young man said, “I think the management does a good job.”
“Really?!” I responded, “What do you mean when you say they do a good job?”
His answer told the story. He said, “They get to know us and they care about us. They let us know that people are more important than money.”
Do you know what I didn’t see at that Dairy Queen that night? I didn’t see anyone slacking. Everyone was working. I didn’t see any frowns. Everyone was smiling and having a good time. And, I didn’t see a sign that said “Now Hiring.” Hmm, I wonder why.
It doesn’t matter what your widget is, every business is a people business. If you take care of the people, they will take care of the business.
That DQ is always busy and it’s no wonder. Customers love a place where the people who work there love being there. That happens only when “Management is doing a good job.”
How do your employees feel about working at your place? If you’d like to learn how to create that kind of work culture (even if you don’t sell ice cream), type the word “Happy” in the comments.
What comes to mind when you hear the word “Culture?” The word nerd in me wants to go directly to the dictionary to find a definition. The online dictionary that comes up when you type “culture” into the Google search bar gives these definitions: 1. the arts and other manifestations of intellectual achievement regarded collectively, 2. the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other group, and 3. the way of life for an entire society including codes of manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, and art.
Another thing that comes to my mind when I hear the word “culture” is the times my family and I have visited other countries. When you get outside the US, you see how differently people live in other places. Language, customs, food, smells are all different. And for the people living there, they are normal. We, the visitors, are the ones who are different.
You can also experience different cultures simply by visiting different parts of this country. Speaking of country, rural areas and urban areas have different cultures, don’t they? We’ve lived in nine states, some more than once. We’ve lived in NC, MI, IN, IL, MN, NE, CO, AZ, and CA. That spans the country from Southeast to Midwest, to Southwest, to West Coast. In some parts of the country you “mash” a button. In other parts you “hit” it or “press” it. In some parts of the country, a Coke can be an orange soda (or pop), and in some parts, things that are “gross” are “ishy.” You get the idea. I’m sure you have a lot of other examples, too.
I have a friend who owns a consulting firm called “Cultural Finesse.” He is from the U.K. and has lived and worked in 15 or so different countries from Europe to Africa to Asia to the Middle East. Now that guy knows a thing or two about different cultures! He started his firm to help U.S. based companies better understand how to work with companies from other countries and cultures. That is still a big part of his business but he has also realized how different the culture can be from one U.S. company to another, and even from one department within a company to another. So he helps with that, too. Check out his website for more information.
If you boil it down, culture is simply “how we do things around here.” Whether it’s a country, a people group, a region, a company, a department, or even a family, that description applies. Culture provides the foundation for the atmosphere (or climate) in which people operate together. Culture is more consistent and deeply rooted. Climate, on the other hand, can change quickly. When I was growing up n Michigan they used to say, “If you don’t like the weather around here, wait 15 minutes. It will change.” Most business climates don’t change every 15 minutes but they do change more readily than cultures.
The climate of an organization is founded on the culture but whether you have stormy weather or clear blue skies depends on the leadership. Climate can change as often as leadership changes. John Maxwell, one of my mentors, says, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” That’s partly because leaders set the climate of the team or organization.
Stormy climates are teams that lack direction, are confused, don’t get along with each other, lack motivation, and get little to nothing done. Where does that come from? The leader. S/he is most likely not communicating clearly to provide direction and parameters, not helping the team catch the vision for what they’re trying to accomplish, and not exhibiting and promoting accountability.
The leader who is doing those things creates a climate that is clear blue skies (CAVU in aviation terms, Ceiling And Visibility Unrestricted). How “clear communication” happens is a matter of culture. That it happens is a matter of climate. The same thing is true for parameters, vision, and accountability. The how is culture, the that is climate … leadership.
If you’d like to learn more about the How (culture) of different organizations, check out my friend Graeme Cooper at Cultural Finesse. If you’d like to learn how to create a clear skies climate in your team or organization, drop the word “How?” in the comments. I’ll send you a pdf called “How To Create a Clear-Skies Climate On Your Team.”