Rules of Employee ENGAGEMENT Part 1 ~ John J Arent

The world is not perfect…there will always be ups and downs.  You are not perfect…there is no such thing…so why do some senior executives of organizations feel that they “know it all”.  They don’t but still some of them want us to feel that they do. Decisions oftentimes being made without inputs from others.  

This is Part 1 of the three ideas that I shared with you on my blog about “Engaging Employees”. 

http://amgtconsulting.blogspot.com/2012/07/3-simple-steps-for-employee-engagement.html

Today’s blog will deal with one of the major causes of employee dis-engagement.  “The lack of true communications within an organization.” The desire to be perfect in an imperfect world. Communications or the lack of dialogue within an organization takes on many shapes and sizes.  Some of these will be explored below:

Picture in your mind the “pompous” ego and you have one example of this.  These managers typically have an ego problem where they are afraid of exposing their weakness or areas of development.  It's been said that "Humility is a virtue", these executives did not wait for that virtue to be bestowed.  They withhold various ideas so that they can appear superior but fail to realize that by refusing to share their thoughts they are weakening the overall impact of the organization.

Another aspect that you will want to get a grasp on is those managers who manage from their desks.  Picture the person who is totally absorbed in metrics.  They spend all day doing analysis and neglect to be with their people.  My forte is sales management and there are many organizations where the major responsibility of a sales manager is being in the field coaching and helping to develop salespeople.  However there are also organizations that have their sales management crunch numbers at the expense of employee development.  These managers seldom get to know their people, their strengths and development areas but are quick to point out any deficiencies in metrics.  Another example would be the warehouse manager who is so busy doing schedules and administrative work in his cubicle that he fails in observational skills of his employees in the work environment.

Lack of Inter-departmental collaboration is also a “flag” to look for.  Are the department leaders comfortable in their expertise to share ideas or do they hold back fearing their inputs could be copied and thus weaken their competitive edge?  The “silo” mentality that was built in the 50’s have endured in some organizations today.  We need to break down those silos so that we can partner together to make major progress as a team.

There have been many recent articles on “annual” Reviews and how often times they are done with little input from the employees.  All too often this comes as a surprise to the employee when expectations are not met.  This may be due to the employee but often times should be traced back to the manager in that there was probably little guidance or progress reports throughout the year.  I am of the belief that annual performance reviews should never be difficult to put together.  It is a collection of factual data that has occurred throughout the year and also discussed one on one several times during the year.  A major accomplishment in conducting annual reviews can be made by clearly stating the goals upfront and measuring  progress at various points throughout the year.

Town Hall Meetings, where executive management gives updates to the rank and file are great ways to involve the team but the challenge for those communications is to be upfront and honest.  If this communication is not truthful and forthright, it will quickly be discussed amongst the employees and challenged.  Consider the “leader” who goes to the dais and proclaims that he personally has worked in the trenches and experienced firsthand inputs…when in fact, he never did.  

These are a few examples of how companies can quickly disengage their employees by a lack of communications.  On Monday, we will discuss the 2^nd idea on Engaging Employees ~ Listening!

Have a super weekend and if you would like, please share this with your colleagues!