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
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.
Every Thursday for the last few months I’ve attended “Perk Up Thursdays.” It’s a networking group that is sponsored by the “Focus Suites,” a project of Southeast Community Colleges Entrepreneurship Center. It’s a great time and I’ve met some wonderful people. There is always a “spotlight speaker” at the event and last Thursday I got to be that person. Here’s a video of my presentation.
This beautiful 16th-century pen and ink drawing of hands clasped in prayer by Albrecht Dürer is reputed to be “the most widely reproduced depiction of prayer in the Western world, found on posters, coffee mugs, mobile phones, and has been used as album artwork. Justin Bieber has a reproduction of the image tattooed on his left leg.” (Wikipedia article) I’ve seen sculptures of this image in homes as well. Several years ago, though, I heard an incredibly sad comment about this image. The person said, “Beware the praying hands.”
My wife, Suzi, and I were having dinner with friends in Minnesota. The husband was a painting contractor and while we were talking about his business, he told me that comment was widely circulated among his peers in several different construction trades. He said that “Christians,” who are most often the ones who would have this image in their homes, were the worst customers. Pause and let that sink in. It made my heart sink when I heard it. He said they were the most likely to try to get a cheaper price, most likely to complain about everything, and (get this) the most likely to stiff them on the bill. WHAT!? That was his experience and it’s sad.
Lest we think his was an isolated situation, unfortunately, there is more. I have several stories similar to this one but I’ll share what I heard from my own niece and nephew who once worked as servers at a well-known restaurant. This was in another part of the country so we’re not just talking about people from Minnesota (my extended family lives in MN and there are many other wonderful people there).
My niece and nephew commented to Suzi and me that “Christians” were the worst customers (Hmm, a recurring theme). They told us that the after-church crowd on Sundays was the most disruptive, the most likely to ask for discounts, the most likely to complain, and the most likely (get ready for it) to stiff them on a tip. What in the world!? But the worst of all is the time when someone left what looked like a $20.00 bill folded on the table. When their colleague, who was not a Christian, picked up the “tip” it turned out to be a “gospel tract” inviting them to become a Christian. When you unfolded it, the words “Here’s your tip” were followed by the invitation. Really?
I’m not necessarily against leaving behind some helpful reading material. But, if you’re going to do that, then literally for God’s sake, you had better have been the best customer that server has ever had, you had better have made their day in some way through your interaction, and you had better have left a generous financial tip folded inside the reading material. There is a saying, “Empty bellies have no ears.”
Why would people who claim to be followers of Jesus behave this way? Jesus had thousands of people who followed him around to hang on his every word. They followed him around because he was generous, he healed people, he fed people, he spoke life into people, and I believe he had a winsome personality, especially with everyday folks.
Why, then, would those who follow him be “the worst customers?” I could be off base but here are two possible explanations:
Suzi and I were having dinner with a good size group of people at a burger and shake restaurant quite a few years ago (when $100 was a lot more money than it is today). Everyone in the group was a Christian. Our server came to take our order and it had some complications to it. We were ordering and having fun with her so, realizing we may have made it hard for her to get everything down correctly, we said, “If you get this order right, we’ll give you a $100 tip.” Once we said that, we knew we were going to give her the tip no matter what. But, guess what, she nailed it! We all but cheered for her and gave her high 5s.
When we left the restaurant, we stopped to watch through the front window. She went over to the table to see if we had kept our word. Some of her co-workers even went to the table with her. When she saw the $100 laying on the table, she grabbed it up and looked to see if any of us were still around. She saw us watching through the window and holding up the money mouthed, “Thank you!” We all smiled and gave her thumbs up.
We don’t always get it right, but that one was fun!
If you’re a follower of Jesus, live like you’re on stage all the time. I don’t mean act or be fake, I mean our lives are always on display. People watch and take note of how we behave. Be winsome, be generous (with resources and words), give, forgive, and speak life. There is enough around us that is negative. Let’s not feed that.
If you’re a business owner with a fish or a cross or praying hands in your logo or ad, make sure you’re striving to be the best in the business in all you do, with your employees, with your customers, and with your vendors. Don’t let people say of you, “beware the praying hands.” Jesus deserves the best representation we can give him. Make someone’s day!