employee engagement « Fired Up!

Posts Tagged ‘employee engagement’

A Recession Thank You Note

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Dear Recession,
I know many people are upset with you. I am not surprised. You have made things tough for many organizations. But at the same time you have made us better. So here are ten things I wanted to thank you for:

1. For forcing us to get rid of the deadwood and the non-performing employees who felt all they had to do was simply to show up for work.

2. For the reminder that we are stronger and more profitable in some areas of our business than others, and that we should always focus on our strengths because they provide the greatest value to our customers.

3. For helping us to relearn the value of customers and the need to focus on customer loyalty, not merely satisfaction, and to never miss an opportunity to do the extraordinary.

4. For reminding us that our people are our profits and that fewer of the “right” employees can consistently outperform more of the “wrong” employees. Fit matters and a greater effort to hire and retain the right employees drives greater results.

5. For a reminder that we must support an employee-focused workplace to be capable of creating a customer-focused workplace. We now are better connected to our employees’ talents, values and interests; we know them better and can better match them to their best performance areas.

6. For the reminder that every employee must add value or they are not needed on the team; all employees are now held accountable for results, ideas and solutions.

7. For forcing us to eliminate the barriers to communication, so that information can move more freely around the organization to accelerate action and responsiveness.

8. For reminding us that we (management) must be more visible, more human, more approachable and integrated in the performance of the employees; constant contact is critical to building strong relationships with employees to earn their loyalty and to know how to activate their performance.

9. For reminding us to use our employees to stay connected to our world through their worlds (social networks) as a means to grow and develop the business in a meaningful way.

10. For the lesson that even when things are tough, employees who are valued, respected and believe in what we stand for, have the reserves needed to pull through and do the extraordinary.

I have learned many valuable lessons that somehow got forgotten in better times. You have reminded me to watch the details, own the results and inspire my people. Though I don’t need this lesson often, I am pleased to have learned it today.

Best regards,
Jay Forte

Please forward this to someone who will benefit from it and contact me to help you reactivate the performance power of your people.

Tags: business survival, employee engagement, employee performance, great managers, lessons, millennial management, recession, resilient organizations
Posted in For Managers | No Comments »

Get More Done With Less

Monday, May 17th, 2010

Many organizations have been carrying extra employees for years – employees who continued to show up each day without adding a level of value commensurate with their pay and benefits.

The recession forced virtually all organizations to reduce their spending. And in today’s intellectual and service workplace, most of these expense reductions related to manpower. Thanks to the recession, most organizations have now seen they can get more done with fewer of the right employees, than more of the wrong employees. Great lesson.

Getting more done with less is not about overwhelming employees by adding the responsibilities of laid off employees to surviving employees. Rather, it is about understanding employees talents, strengths and passions and realigning employees to roles that use these to make a more significant difference. Studies continue to support that employees who are engaged (intrinsically and emotionally connected – they are good at what the job requires and like doing it), out perform all others. They are more creative, more focused and more interested in their work. The result is greater performance. This requires a greater attention to “fit.” Fit determines the “right employee.” Right employees get more done.

So to get more done with less:
1. Define the talents, strengths, skills and experience needed in each role.
2. Realign existing talent to roles that match and need their attributes.
3. Hire those positions for which you do not currently have the right people.
4. When interviewing, use talent-based questions (workplace situational questioning) to assess candidates’ talents and assess their responses and fit.
5. Clearly define performance expectations and allow employees greater freedom in achieving expectations.
6. Provide recurring feedback to encourage employees to perform.

We are in the new “normal.” The recession showed us we can get the work done with fewer of the right people, keep costs down and improve profitability. Did the recession change how you hire and who is on your team?

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it, and contact me to show you how to get the right people in the right roles to build your A-Team.

Tags: employee engagement, feedback, hire the right employee, job interview, right employee, talents
Posted in For Managers | No Comments »

Which of These Do Your Employees Say?

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

Do your employees say, “I have to go to work”? Or do they say, “I can’t wait to go to work”?

I know you think many employees will always be down about or disinterested in work. But consider this. What if your employees actually loved what they did for work? Wouldn’t their energy, creativity and performance be better?

Most companies are stuck in an outdated perspective that work is a necessary evil; it is only something you do to make money. But the great performers, those that Seth Godin speaks about in his book Linchpin, are those who know themselves well enough to identify roles that allow them to do what they are good at and passionate about. The result? They love work, find great personal value in it and consistently outperform others.

So managers, it is your responsibility to hire people who are a good “fit” – employees who meet today’s new definition of performance:
o They are good at doing what the job requires (it matches their brain hardwiring – their talents and intrinsic strengths), and
o They like doing it (it appeals to them).

Any job can be better completed by someone who likes what he does. A customer service employee who loves to work with people connects so much better with customers than someone who is not interested in connection or relationships. An accounting employee who loves details, reporting and analysis (and yes, there are these people out there) is so much more effective, productive and efficient than someone who would prefer to be around people all day. Fit matters.

Maybe there are some people who will always hate work. Well, let those people work for other companies. For your team, find people who are good at what the job requires and like doing it. Think “fit.” Then you’ll have employees who actually say, “I can’t wait to get to work.”

Tags: employee engagement, employee motivation, great manager, hire the right employee, performance
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Are You a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Workplace

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

No, I’m not talking about sexual preference. Instead, I want to know if you “don’t ask” your employees what they think, how they would handle problems and search for opportunities. I want to know if you “don’t tell” your employees critical information so they can be more successful in their roles. “Don’t ask and don’t tell” impacts how you gather, use and move information in the workplace.

Organizations that actively use their networks of employees, vendors and customers to constantly gather and assess information, are better informed, more nimble and more responsive. Organizations that share meaningful information about objectives, initiatives, problems, challenges and opportunities more actively engage employees to participate in a recurring value discussion.

To eliminate your “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach:
1. Regularly involve employees in discussions about the organization, its challenges, opportunities, strategy and vision.
2. Create an intranet or electronic location in which you post critical performance information so all employees are informed with accurate information.
3. Stay close to your customers and closer to your employees; regularly survey each about what they see, hear, think and imagine. Use this information to be better informed in the management of the organization.

Organizations with open and clear communications process information more easily and effectively. Create your “ask and tell” policy to benefit from today’s connections, networks and varied perspectives. Employees and customers have information – you need it.

For more information, help and tools to activate the performance power of your people, click on the “For Managers” and/or the “Hunt for Opportunities” sections on www.LiveFiredUp.com.See my Power Performance blog on www.Bizmore.com for more practical performance information.

Tags: constant contact, employee engagement, great managers, motivate employee, share information
Posted in For Managers | No Comments »