Engaging Conversations: To those who have asked me to provide some of these ‘secret insights’ to effectively engage employees, here’s my highly strategic recommendation: talk to them. Sure, companies need an overall engagement strategy that they’re rolling out across the organization, one that helps employees connect with the organization’s mission, become more passionate about their work, and exceed expectations. But in my experience, the best-intended employee engagement plans hit a wall if the company’s managers and supervisors aren’t able to build effective relationships with their employees. That’s a core issue: many managers simply don’t know how to initiate honest and open conversations with the employees they seek to engage. Joining Companies, Leaving Managers Failure to encourage this kind of open dialogue unwittingly discourages the very people that companies seek to motivate. Organizations where employees are scared to talk to their supervisors and unwilling to share how they really feel about their jobs, are also companies full of “clock-punchers” who feel stuck in their careers. I notice that these are often the same companies in which senior managers openly fret about the lack of “bench strength.” At The Bailey Group, we define employee engagement as “a personal connection employees have to their job, organization, manager or team that motivates them to excel in their work.” Engaged employees are easy to recognize: they bring their full selves to work, exude positive energy, consistently seek ways to improve, and are upbeat and committed. For many employees at all levels, engagement comes from within. Some workers will be engaged no matter which organization they work for. But for many others—more than 50% of the workforce, by most estimates—engagement never happens. Those employees deserve some of the responsibility, of course, but companies can take real-world action steps to help them find that personal connection to their work. Creating an environment that encourages engaging conversations between employees and their managers is a critical component of any engagement plan. We need to engage employees in conversations about their talent, ask them about their passion, and help them learn how to explore opportunities for job renewal. “It’s as much about the act of conversations as it is about the outcome of those conversations.” (Performance Improvement Solutions, 2005) A Creative Process, An Organizational
Priority Setting the ground rules for engaging conversations, and teaching managers the logistics (i.e. where, what, how often) may seem basic, but it’s an important first step. Identifying this process as a top-down organizational priority makes a difference, which means that anyone in an HR or human capital position needs to carry this knowledge and message to senior management to gain appropriate buy-in. Training managers in some learnable techniques also makes a huge difference in adopting an engaging conversations culture. In many organizations, we have helped teach people skills vital to relationship-based leadership: listening with empathy, being respectful, withholding judgment, and leading with a development mindset. Setting realistic outcomes is another key piece. This need not be an overly complicated initiative. The best possible outcomes of engaging conversations are:
There are no absolutes. This is a creative and
negotiable process. We can’t all have jobs in which we work outside
on nice days, and inside on cold ones. Yet engaging conversations
will uncover a few hidden passions, match dreams with opportunities,
and help you retain key people by demonstrating to them that your
organization is genuinely interested in their future.
The Bailey Consulting Group’s Women’s Leadership Exchange Would you like to join an ongoing leadership development group for women leaders? Do you know someone interested in such a group? We are now forming new groups for The Bailey Consulting Group’s Women’s Leadership Exchange to begin in 2008. Exchange groups, limited to eight participants, meet monthly for six months over breakfast or lunch. Together, we address topics related to effective leadership, professional development and personal fulfillment. Led by our co-principal and executive coach Martha Carlson, the Exchange provides insight, guidance and support to group members who also benefit from the opportunity to establish a new network of peers in a variety of industries and functions. We have two groups forming for early 2008:
In addition, Martha is forming a group for women in executive and senior leadership positions, to begin on April 3rd and meet on the first Thursday of each month for breakfast. Exchange groups cover a variety of subjects including leadership styles, work issues, life balance, communication, and goal setting. Group members get to work together through a process of translating personal insights into action. Martha, an accomplished coach and facilitator, brings her own perspective that helps align personal and business perspectives. Registration for an Exchange group is $1,500 for six months. Would you like to register for a group or learn more? Please contact Martha at 763-545-5997 or mcarlson@thebaileygroup.com.
Recommended Reading At The Bailey Group, we often recommend books to our clients. Here are a few that we read recently: Martha: I found this book to be profoundly simple and powerful. Byrne talks about the Law of Attraction - if you can think about what you want in your mind, and make that your dominant thought, you will bring it into your life. She describes an ideal “Creative Process” - ask for what you want, believe that you can have it, and receive it as it comes to you. The book explores these concepts through a variety of perspectives and in a variety of applications from work to relationships to health and prosperity. Barb: I heard Marshall Goldsmith speak at a conference last month. He’s a coaching rock star, and in this book he outlines the twenty habits—playing favorites, negativity, making excuses, not listening—that get in the way of leaders achieving their objectives. He walks through each of these “transactional flaws performed by one person against others” and demonstrates how people he knows have overcome them, one at a time. Be sure to read his chapter on “Apologizing.” Leigh: This is a fascinating book. Toobin is an engaging writer who traces the role of the Supreme Court in both law and politics over the past 30 years. I particularly enjoyed how Toobin sheds light on the personalities beyond the black robes. He discusses how some of the court’s justices—Sandra Day O’Connor, Anthony Kennedy, Chief Justice Rehnquist, and now Chief Justice Roberts—fare as leaders, influencers and motivators in interpreting some of the landmark decisions of our time. (Steve recommends this one, too!)
BCG Staff News and Updates Our Golden Valley offices have expanded, and we are glad to have new team members to help us fill out our space. Here we introduce some of our new team members: Steve Shapiro joined us as our Director of Sales and Marketing. He had worked with us for several years as a consultant and has now fully joined our team. Prior to spending five years as an independent marketing consultant, he was founding partner at The Maccabee Group Public Relations. He also spent the past four years as board president at Hope Community, Inc. Julie Resch is the new Office Manager of The Bailey Group. She’s the first voice people hear and the face people see when they walk in our door. Julie, who earned her B.A. this past spring in Organizational Behavior from College of St. Scholastica, keeps our schedules running smoothly and our office in working order. Julie is also the mother of ten-year-old Kaylin. Ali Golden, a senior at University of St. Thomas, joined us this summer as our marketing intern. In addition to helping us with events, presentations and marketing activities, Ali has read and summarized over 100 articles about leadership and talent management, and has compiled them into a handy bibliography that we use regularly. Annie Perdue-Olson is a licensed minister at Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul. She is with The Bailey Group as part of her pursuit of a Masters degree in Human Resource and Change Management at University of St. Thomas. Annie has been helping us document many of our coaching and training processes. In addition, here are a few other staff updates: Martha Carlson officially became an owner and co-principal at The Bailey Consulting Group. Congratulations, Martha! Barb Krantz Taylor traveled to the Best of Talent Management Summit in San Francisco this past month to serve as a Learning Team Leader. Leigh Bailey’s hectic travel schedule has taken him to England, Ottawa, Columbus, San Francisco, and Chicago since the beginning of fall. |
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