Here are my favorite articles for the week on employee engagement and creating a culture of appreciation. Feel free to share your comments.
Balancing Purpose and Profit in Today’s Marketplace by Bob Aiken
(Business2Community.com) “In some cases, a CEO inserts his or her own passion as the larger organization’s purpose, but what the CEO is passionate about may not resonate with associates. As a result, these companies may not have full associate engagement, and it becomes yet another “top-down” mandate. In contrast, a model that empowers stakeholders to have direct input and joint participation in purpose-driven initiatives ensures involvement from each group and guarantees maximum benefit for the community.”
My Thoughts: Yes, the CEO’s vision and passion is important, but to get full buy-in from the staff, finding out what is important to your team is critical.
What Evidence Links Diversity and Engagement?
(Workforce.com) “Trust is at the root of the relationship. Organizations in which customers and employees are treated fairly regardless of demographics or background build trust within the workforce, which our research shows is one of the top drivers of employee engagement. After all, employees who do not have a basic foundation of trust for their organization or managers are much less likely to want to contribute to the organizations success — a key indicator of engagement.”
My Thoughts: Trust takes a long time to build and can be crushed in an instant. When considering engagement strategies, make sure you’re looking long-term.
Four Great Gratitude Strategies by Juliana Breines
(GreaterGood.Berkeley.edu) “One variation on this practice is Mental Subtraction of Relationships, which is similar to Mental Subtraction of Positive Events but involves focusing specifically on important relationships, such as close friends or romantic partners. Although it may be painful to imagine your life without someone you care about, doing so once in a while can serve as a reminder not to take that person for granted and may improve your relationship as a result.”
My thoughts: You don’t always appreciate what you’ve got, until it’s gone.
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Lisa Ryan, creator of Grategy® is a gratitude practitioner, professional speaker and bestselling author. For more information contact (216) 225-8027. For information on Grategy® programs please visit http://www.grategy.com. Follow on Twitter: @Grategy
