Engaged Employees Build Successful Companies

There's a gap between top-performing organizations and their competitors who fail to recognize the value of a relatively simple, yet critical management strategy; engaging employees in the success of the organization. Productivity can soar or drop precipitously, depending on how involved and enthusiastic employees are in their work. The more committed the engagement, the higher the productivity. Influential leaders understand this principle. Employee engagement refers to the degree to which employees connect with their work and feel committed to their organization and its goals.

Managers who fail to take this into account can easily expect higher turnover, lower performance, and low morale. Good employees leave, taking their knowledge and experience someplace else. Performance suffers as new employees have to be brought up to speed and costs increase to continually hire and train them. This may also adversely affect the remaining employees as they take on more duties and frustrations with incompetent new co-workers.

Highly engaged employees are excited and enthusiastic about their work. They are less aware of the passage of time and resist distractions. They find it easier to stay focused, and their enthusiasm becomes contagious. They may devote discretionary effort to productive activities, and ponder questions or challenges posed by their tasks during spare moments after work.

When people can approach their employment in the same manner that they dig into their favorite hobbies, sports, or leisure activities; the results can be quite predictably impressive. When employees feel this way about their work, they enjoy it and contribute more to the organization's success.

"Employee engagement first. It goes without saying that no company, small or large, can survive over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it". ~Jack and Susie Welch.

Employers can expect an increase in employee retention, innovation and collaboration. Customer satisfaction levels will increase, and ultimately the results will be reflected in the bottom line, the value of shares, and the return on investment.

Five Key Considerations:

1. Are you fostering a "people culture"? Do you honestly believe that your people are your greatest asset? If no, why not? If you do, take a very close look at your vision, values, and strategy to make sure there is alignment between how you want to shape your company and how in fact your company is being shaped. Communicate a clear vision of the future.
2. Commit to developing people. Are your employees appreciating in value or are they depreciating in value? Develop your employees by making sure they are the right person in the right seat on your bus. You can do that through the use of Predictive Performance or Job Matching technology. Primarily you will be able to strategically invest in your people so that they are fully developed for their current job and secondly; they can see a clear path for career advancement.
3. Ensure the right person is in the right leadership position. It is critical here that the prospective new manager's abilities are the primary decision in making the appointment. What made an individual successful as a subordinate, may have very little to do with their ability to succeed at management level.
4. Develop management styles to fit your people. In today's diverse workforce of multiple generations and cultures you must rethink your workforce strategies and transform your management and human resource practices to attract, engage, and retain workers of all ages and backgrounds.
5. Understand your target employees (current and future). Successful companies identify their target customer. A target employee is one who is a 'good fit' in their current job, is fully engaged on the job, and whose performance exceeds your expectations. When an employee is well matched like the one described; not only will he or she achieve goals but will possess the ability to elevate the performance of other employees, teams, departments, and even divisions.

"... the best way to keep your stars is to know them better than they know themselves - and then use that information to customize the careers of their dreams."~ Job Sculpting: The Art of Retaining Your Best People" from the Harvard Business Review.

Robert Ringstrom writes from his office in Sartell, MN. Strata Personnel Solutions generates essential information for business owners and organizational leaders which enable them to hire and retain engaged workforces who perform at peak levels.

Bobby Ringstrom can be reached at: (320) 217-8063

For more information, go to info@Strata-PS.comor / http://www.Strata-PS.com

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A Wizard's Perspective on Management

That’s a horse of a different color. The first time I heard that expression was as a young boy watching The Wizard of Oz. If you recall (and I have to believe that everyone has seen the movie) when Dorothy and her trio of friends were trying to get past the palace guard to see the Wizard, the guard declined until he learned that she was Dorothy; the one that had the kingdom in an uproar. Then he exclaimed, “Now THAT’s a horse of a different color!” and decided to let them in to see the wizard. He promptly swung the gates open and had them board a carriage being drawn by pink and blue horses!

Of course the innuendo is fun, but the inference of the guard who now understands better is important here. Ultimately given relevant information, the guard realizes perfectly well what needs to be done. And isn’t that exactly what we’re looking for when we trying to find our own direction? We don’t want to fail, yet sometimes decisions are hard to come by. Without critical information, we can swing in the breeze of indecisiveness until we stumble into success or fail in our ignorance. Just like the palace guard, we may choose the familiar yet unrewarding path that we feel ‘at least won’t make things worse’.

We don’t have to operate in such a blind fashion. Successful leaders plan with their workforce in mind. Their plan includes the use of well-chosen tools which allow them to focus on their goals and guide them down the path to achievement. Our team of experts follows a process which perhaps may help your organization identify flaws in your own plan:

1. Identify where you want your organization to go. When Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin man and Cowardly Lion set out to see the wizard; they had a strategy. When they happened to stray from it, they ran into witches and flying monkeys which ultimately scared them back on track to their ultimate goals. They could have avoided much of their trauma if they’d stuck to their intentions. Your plan should include knowing precisely what behavior leads to success, the roads that will get you there and how to pace your efforts. Your strategy should be a meaningful plan without distractions.

2. Understand your labor market. What does your potential labor force look like? You must keep a finger on the pulse of the economy, demographic trends, changes in regulations, and where—and why—are employee demographics in flux. You will need to know this to help you understand what it will take to fill your ranks and what your labor costs will be.

3. Look to future talent demands. Some positions may be relevant for a limited period of time and they will be phased out. Others you might expect to be part of your strategy for years to come. What can you expect will be the most difficult positions to fill? Or what will be your most important roles to fill in a given timeline? What employee groups will be most critical to your organization?

4. Assess your current staff. To plan well, it will be critical to know who fits into their position well and who may be better equipped in a different capacity. Not every great worker is necessarily a good manager; nor does a good manager always represent the best worker on the production line. Knowing who fits best and where; will help you plan. Focus on ability; not on personal relationships. Job placement decisions can be strengthened by addressing these simple criteria: How well does the person fit the job? Does the employee have the skills to perform? How long does talent stay at your company?

5. Identify your talent gaps; plan how to close them. With the information gathered with the assessments of your staff, Jim Sirbasku coaches the application of the (4) B’s: build your talent; bounce those who don't fit into new jobs; buy new talent by recruiting it; and borrow labor on a temporary or contract basis. You don't have to use all four tactics. Employing only some of them might be all that’s necessary.

6. Implement your strategy. Don’t forget step 2. Stick to your plan. You must have top-level support. Executives will need to focus on priorities in order to build momentum instead of trying to achieve everything at once. And you will have to track what happens by the numbers. This means that your decisions will be based on facts rather than gut feelings.

Know what color horses are needed to pull that carriage.