This is the third installment of a series on developing an “engaged” workforce . . . that is, a workforce that energetically supports your company and its goals. In the first installment, we talked about the importance of clearly communicating the company’s mission, vision, values, and culture. Essentially, those four things (with apologies to business
“Can’t lead from behind.”
Our previous posting was the first installment of this series on building an “engaged” workforce. In that posting, we talked about vision, values, mission, and culture being foundational to a truly engaged workforce. After all, we argued, employees need to know what the organization does, why it does what it does, what outcomes it hopes
Get your workforce engaged! (101)
In our last posting, we talked about the need for, and the benefits that flow from, an “engaged” workforce . . . that is, employees who are energized by their work and committed to supporting the company’s goals. In that posting, intended to be an introduction to a series on workforce engagement, we described what
Want an “entangled” workforce?
A lot has been written lately about companies developing an “engaged” workforce, meaning employees who are energized by their work and committed to helping the company achieve its goals. In fact, I blogged about becoming a “winning workplace” a few months ago that touched on this subject. In their book, “It’s My Company Too! How
“Make no little plans.”
Sometime around the last holiday season, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced a plan to home-deliver merchandise within 30 minutes of the order being placed . . . by a little helicopter drone. That’s right. He claims, when the system is ready some years in the future, you’ll call Amazon, place your order, and 30 minutes
Judge by results, not by effort or activities
It’s an easy trap to fall into. We get seduced by a great work ethic. “Look at Johnson over there . . . salt of the earth, I tell ya. He’s in early, stays late, doesn’t complain, and you never find him goofing off. I wish I had a hundred just like him.” Actually, no
“I don’t care if people don’t like me as long as they respect me!”
Respect is a key element of leadership. That is, it will be extremely difficult for a leader to lead without earning the respect of his or her followers. Followers may do what the leader demands because they must in order to earn a paycheck, but their work will lack energy, and it will lack commitment.
“It’s best to be Attila the Hun every day rather than every other day.”
Consistency is a concept that gets a bad rap from time to time. Playwrite and poet Oscar Wilde once wrote, “Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.” Author Aldous Huxley was even more blunt when he said, “Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are dead.” So some
Be a “winning workplace”
Comedian Jeff Foxworthy’s signature standup bit is, “You might be a redneck.” It’s a whole series of if/then jokes aimed at helping you discover if you could possibly be a redneck. For instance, “If you’ve been married three times and still have the same in-laws, you might be a redneck.” Or, “If you own a
eHarmony in the recruiting business? Really?
An article in the September 16, 2013 issue of Time magazine noted that eHarmony, the dating service, will begin offering a job-recruiting service sometime in 2014. Seriously?? Apparently so. Not only that, but the article goes on to say that in addition to eHarmony, there are a bunch of startups who hope to use matchmaking
