Seth Godin didn't know he was talking about employee engagement in Monday's post, but there it was.
Can't watch your parade if the house is on fire
"People are in pain. Often of their own making, they tell themselves a story that obsesses/distracts and compels them. "I'll never get a movie gig again," "I can't believe they didn't like what I offered," "My job is in jeopardy," "Money's too tight to buy all the things I want..." "Does my butt look fat in these shorts?"
You can jump up and down and sing and dance and launch fireworks, but if the consumer's story of pain is vivid enough, you will be ignored. When the house is on fire, all your audience wants is a hose."
He's talking about consumers, of course, but the same goes for employees. Every day.
That's why managers are the single most powerful influencers of employee engagement. They listen, guide, recognize -- or add to the "pain."
As focal review draws near for many of you, keep Seth's short, direct story in mind. Your best programs are just a distraction if employees are not bringing their passion to work.
Set Seth's story in your company and it's immediately clear that managers are the ones who come running with a hose. Every time.
Don't take them for granted this year:
- Begin your focal review rollout strategy with business meetings between Department Heads and their managers. Prepare them to have candid discussions on what worked and didn't work in pay for performance last year.
- Enlist the Department Heads as coaches so that your managers are recognized and appreciated for their good work, too.
- Take every opportunity to talk things over with managers. If you have training planned, set at least 30 minutes aside for managers to discuss the hurdles that they face. Listen to find out how they handle them. When they have great ideas, spread them around.
- Give managers tools to help them prepare and manage all the time that goes into recognition, focal review and pay. If you do a good job at it, you will give managers more time to spend with employees. They will be far less distracted by the "how can I get it all done" drama in their heads, and more likely to care about the guy on the other side of the desk.
Margaret O'Hanlon is founder and principal of re:Think Consulting. She has decades of experience teaming up with clients to ensure great Human Resource ideas deliver valuable business results. Margaret brings deep expertise in total rewards communications and change management to the dialog at the Café. Before founding re:Think Consulting, she was a Principal in Total Rewards Communications and Change Management with Towers Perrin. Margaret is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), Pacific Plains Region. She earned her M.S. and Ed.S. in Instructional Technology at Indiana University. Creative writing is one of her outside passions, along with Masters Swimming.
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