Engagement is a popular business term. When I was in Business School many years ago, you did not hear this term a whole lot. Things have changed and smart leaders know that the word "engagement" is a very important word. It's one leaders and business owners need to know, understand, and practice. Let's talk about that this month.
I recently read some fascinating commentary from the Gallup Organization, one of the leading business research organizations in the world. A lot of their publications are pretty involved and tough to understand for a small business owner like me. However, I continue to read their work and I continue to learn. As I get older, I don't believe everything I read or hear; I want proof and that's the main reason I love the Gallup Organization; they are a research organization; their work is based on what they found out, not what they "think" or "guess" to be the case.
A recent column by researcher Elizabeth Kampf discusses the online retailer Zappos' decision to change their organization and eliminate management positions. Kampf concludes in the column that Zappos doing that may be a mistake based on what research shows. She said, "The irony here is that Zappos' leaders may well be removing the main tool they have to erase that transition and maximize engagement-their team managers. Employees have widely varying needs related to morale, motivation, and clarity, and failing to meet those needs can lead to differing levels of effort and engagement at work. Nothing less than great managers can bring diverse groups of individuals together and focus them effectively on reaching higher levels of performance." Okay, so have I lost you yet? I'll back up; I wanted to start with her finding at the start to lay the groundwork for something I think you need to not lose sight of. And that is: leadership is all about people; your success begins and ends with people. And no matter how much technology and other advancements and ideas come forward, nothing is going to replace talking, interacting, and working closely with your people. Gallup's research-again research, not assumptions-finds that managers engage their people; they are the key and they believe that Zappos removing managers is a mistake. At least that's what I read into their work. They don't come right out and say that; however, that's what they believe. I believe it too and my experiences say the same thing. Good companies have good managers that are engaged with their people.
So, if you're thinking about this, you should be saying, "Okay, Marty, Mr. Smarty Pants, I'm a busy Green Industry Professional. I am so busy this time of year all my meals are eaten in my truck, and there aren't enough hours in the day to do what I need to do. To add my focusing on engagement to my to-do list isn't going to work. Heck, I'm going to stop reading your column right here." Wait! There's a better way, a simple thing you can do to improve engagement and while it will take some time, if you understand what happens when you get your people engaged, you make this part of your daily, weekly, and monthly activities. Engagement is something you should covet and it's something you need to put time into.
The Gallup Organization has an incredible list that is the foundation to their work. It's called the Q12. Their research proves that if you work on the following 12 items, your engagement will improve. You can find this work all over the web and I highly recommend that you read and pay to subscribe to their work. The 12 items Gallup wants you to ask your team are as follows:
The Q12 Index.
- Do you know what is expected of you at work?
- Do you have the materials and equipment to do your work right?
- At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?
- In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?
- Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person?
- Is there someone at work who encourages your development?
- At work, do your opinions seem to count?
- Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important?
- Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality work?
- Do you have a best friend at work?
- In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress?
- In the last year, have you had opportunities to learn and grow?
There's no point in reinventing the wheel, folks. If your people can't answer yes to all of Gallup's questions, you should see pretty clearly what to do. I know I do. Talk to you next time.
Marty highly recommends the Gallup Organization and encourages all of you to read their books. His two favorites are First Break all the Rules and Strengths Finder, (www.amazon.com).
