When thinking about a business, it is rare to view it in isolation. There is always a “face” to the company. Whether it be the young person behind the counter, the person greeting you as you walk in, or the person helping you on the phone, there is normally a person representing the company. This person can either be a good or a bad representative. As a leader, we do not hire bad people.
So what makes people a bad/poor representative for a company? They were not hired because they are bad/poor. So they must have become bad/poor representatives. The question then has to be, “how or why did they become the way they are?”
I think the answer is quite basic but is also complicated which may sound contradictory, but I don’t believe it is.
The basic answer is, culture which I wrote about a while ago (click on the link).
The complicated answer is engagement which is intertwined with culture. When the company culture is poor, people are generally disengaged, but when the culture is good the staff are engaged.
I’m not a fan of Wikipedia, but this definition is the best I have seen so far; An "engaged employee" is defined as one who is fully absorbed by and enthusiastic about their work and so takes positive action to further the organization's reputation and interests.
There are numerous studies showing that companies with high engagement scores are more productive and profitable than those with low scores. Companies with engaged staff also have better customer satisfaction scores. It is no wonder more companies are putting time, effort and resources into engagement.
Like so many things, engagement is built on a foundation. Fair pay and benefits are a good place to start, this will make your people feel valued. As part of benefits, I believe there should be a well-being element providing support for your people in their physical and mental health. Both are so important for a balanced life which in turn lead to better employees. These days, with hybrid/remote working becoming more prevalent, it is important that you ensure your home workers have everything they need at home in terms of equipment, and that when they do come to the office, it is a great place to be, not a dreary office from the 70’s.
Having these elements will likely get you employees that turn up to work but not much more. I believe the starting point for engagement is regular, honest 2-way communication. You should be able to keep your people informed of what is going on in the business, where the business is headed and most importantly, any difficulties the business is experiencing. Being honest and showing an element of vulnerability is so important to gain trust from your people, this is the basis of any relationship and is a key driver for engagement.
In the previous paragraph, I mentioned the future direction of the business. This is determined by the purpose and the mission statement, both underpinned by the company values. These values should form part of everyday conversations and be “lived” by all levels of management in their everyday actions. Their leadership and management styles will also affect engagement. My personal favourites are the servant leadership movement and a coaching style of leadership. Both foster relationships in the workplace and they show a high level of support in the development of the employees. Jim Hunter says “you are either ripe and rotting or green and growing” and these leadership styles focus on growth and support which help staff head in the direction of self-actualisation.
The final important factor also happens to be the simplest to implement. Say “thank you”. It sounds simple enough but is forgotten in many workplaces. Do you like to feel appreciated? Most of us do, and I guarantee your people do too. A manager once said to me “why should I thank him for doing his job?” Well, you don’t have to, but it is nice and it shows good manners to thank people. They will appreciate the acknowledgement of their effort, feel valued and do it again for further recognition.
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