Hopefully, we now have COVID-19 receding and it is becoming more manageable in society (fingers crossed) and our return to a new normal in our workplaces will continue. Given the challenges that both companies and individuals have faced, now is an essential time to return to the basics of employee engagement and get back to the personal touch that inspires loyalty, retention and productivity in our teams.
My first experience with the power of engagement was decades ago when I was with the Boeing Commercial Airplane Company. We were implementing a new quality effort that required taking measurements right at the machine. In those days, this was done with pencils, calculators, and graph paper right on the floor. When it came time to implement, my initial task was to do the training and provide Operators with this first exposure to this approach. This required me to sit with one of the most experienced and senior machine operators on the floor for training. This was a hardened manufacturing associate, proud member of the Aerospace Machinist Union and over all intimidating human. I was unsure about what his reaction might possibly be to this pencil and math approach to doing what he had done for so many years. I presented the training, purpose and methodologies while he quietly listened. After I completed the training, I looked to him and asked him what he thought. His reply, which shocked me, was “This is the first time Management didn’t think that I was too stupid to do something like this. Let’s make it work.” We went on to have a very successful project and that operator helped me sell the concept to other operators.
I was very inspired to see how this frontline employee rose to make a bigger impact than he or anyone else thought he could make. It was humbling to see the impact that a single engaged employee could make. That is the power of making everyone visible and empowered with a voice no matter what their role in your organization. That experience was one of the defining points in my career and would later find a common value system with philosophy and culture at Acushnet.
On the other end of the spectrum, right out of college my daughter worked for a major fortune 500 industrial company in their corporate headquarters. One morning, by chance, she ended up riding the elevator with the CEO and one other person. The CEO did not even acknowledge her or the other person’s presence. She felt totally invisible to him. As she recounted this story to me, I thought what a lost opportunity for this CEO to inspire a young employee. I am sure he was busy with a lot on his mind but he missed the opportunity as leader to do a key part of his job; to inspire others. Not surprisingly, my daughter moved on within a year to a different organization. She didn’t leave because of that single interaction, but she could have been inspired in that one-minute interaction which could have been the difference to stay.
Another time in my career, I followed a senior manager in a position who was brilliant. However, like the CEO in the story above, this manager was not someone who made others feel visible. Shortly after I replaced the person in this position, an employee who sat outside this person’s office told me he was finally able to get off anti-anxiety medicines. This senior leader’s practice of treating those around him as invisible had actually resulted in his high anxiety because the impact on his self-esteem and the uncertainty of this daily dose of invisibility was taking its toll on him.
Some of the leaders that have the hardest times with this are the humble leaders. They don’t see themselves as above others and therefore don’t understand why their acknowledgement of others is so important. These leaders need to understand it is their role as a senior representative of the organization to acknowledge others. As a leader, a part of your job is to enable everyone have their voice.
Random engagement is important, but that alone is not enough. We also have to prioritize and program focused employee communication into our routines.
In my past job as a Senior VP, I had a cadence of walking our factory floors on all work shifts twice a year. I did this before the holiday break and before our summer shut down when employees went on their vacations. The purpose of these walks was for no other purpose than to personally thank every individual on the front line for their efforts. In addition, I would conduct two rounds per year of all-hands communication meetings, leaving plenty of time for questions. This was a routine that worked for me and these interactions helped demonstrate that the job everyone was doing was essential and well worth the time to be communicated to.
This communication was across six facilities and multiple shifts, so it was a challenge on the schedule. At times I wondered if it was worth it and did it really mean much to our teams? However, one day I was in a transport car going to the airport for a business trip. The driver introduced himself and mentioned that he had worked at the company I was at years ago. He said he wanted to just thank me for coming around each year and recognizing him and others. He said it meant so much to know that leadership appreciated him and his fellow employees and something that they all talked about. It wasn’t about me, it was about them. This just reinforced for me how important the personal touch is.
Another incredibly powerful communication tool is the simple focus group. A good number for a focus is group is 5 or 6 employees from different work departments. Once a year I would two focus groups per shift timed towards the end of the year prior to finalizing the planning and goals for the coming year. These were very open ended discussions. I would explain that I am just there to listen and ensure that I am aware of our employees priorities as we do our planning. It is important to manage expectations that you’re not there to develop a huge to do list but just to get all perspectives before setting action plans. The questions I would ask were very simple. What do you like most about working here? What do you like least? If you had a magic wand, what would you do to make this a more successful business? I would make sure I was in full listening mode and check my defensiveness. This was always incredibly informative process. I had an expectation for my direct reports to do a similar process which further increased the inputs we gathered for the leadership team.
These were strategies that worked for me. A leadership coach can work as a thought partner with you to identify what is the best way for you to engage with an authentic style that fits your personality. It is a process that requires emotional intelligence and for you as a leader to be comfortable being vulnerable. It is well worth the time!
When was the last time you looked someone in the eye, shook their hand and thanked them for their contribution? As leaders, let’s commit to getting back to doing this every day. It will make a difference in the lives of those around us and the organizations we lead.
What personal experiences have you had with employee engagement? How did they make you feel? Join the conversation on LinkedIn. I’d love to hear from you.