![The 4 Must Have Pieces of the Engagement Puzzle]()
Leadership, People
In the past, business success was all about size. Today, it’s all about speed. But with speed, comes change, and change, as we know, creates fear. People don’t like change because it’s disruptive. Employees begin to disengage as they struggle to define where they fit in or fear that they may become obsolete.
Disengagement doesn’t come cheap. Each year, companies spend nearly $75 billion in an effort to improve an estimated $350 billion annual impact to the U.S. economy in lost productivity. The latest research by Gallup shows that nearly 70% of American workers are disengaged. Clearly, the dollars being thrown at this issue are making a paltry impact at best.
From productivity to profitability, from safety to shrinkage, clearly employee engagement is not a philosophical exercise. It has bottom line implications.
Employee engagement is both potential and kinetic in nature. You likely recall potential and kinetic energy demonstrated by Wile E. Coyote in his thwarted attempts to capture the elusive roadrunner. Potential energy is stored by an object – perhaps a giant spring or over-sized mousetrap. The object is loaded and ready for action. Kinetic energy is related to the object’s motion – like a coyote arrow launched by a bow.
The same is true of employees. Engaged employees have both stored and activated energy. Stored energy comes from having both meaningful work and aligned goals. Activated energy is an employee’s ability to tap into his or her strengths and the learning and growth afforded on the job. Together, they make up four pieces of the engagement puzzle. Here’s a breakdown of each piece:
1. Meaningful work. Do your employees know the value your organization brings? Regardless of whether you are a non-profit or for profit enterprise, everyone in your organization should be passionate about your why. As Simon Sinek argues in his popular TED Talk, people want more than a paycheck. They want to be a part of something greater than themselves.
2. Aligned goals. Next, employees need to move from the why to the what. The sooner you can connect your strategic objectives with employee goals and rewards, the better chance you have of turning your strategic plan from theory into reality. Help employees see how their daily jobs impact goals such as profit margins or market share.
3. Strengths-focused. At this point, your employees are spring loaded and ready to move onto the how. Depending on whether you focus on improving employees’ weaknesses or leveraging their strengths, you can either thwart their enthusiasm or thrust them into action. Gallup research shows that the best way for employees to grow and develop is to leverage their natural talents to perform at their highest potential.
4. Learning and Growth. Employees under the age of 25 rate professional development as their number one driver of engagement, and workers up to age 35 rate it as the number two priority. As employees get older, their focus on development shifts away from mobility in favor of aligning a job with long-term career goals. Create an environment that gets people engaged and keeps them engaged by providing opportunities to grow and advance.
While 90% of executives understand the importance of employee engagement, fewer than 50% understand how to address this issue. Design an organization that thrives on turning potential energy into kinetic energy by focusing on the four pieces of the engagement puzzle.
Question: In which of the four pieces of the engagement puzzle does your organization excel? Where could you use improvement?
Download our infographic:
From Buzz Phrase to Business Case: Why Employee Engagement Really Matters
![The 4 Must Have Pieces of the Engagement Puzzle]()
People
When was the last time you took a field trip? A time when you stepped out of your office, drove yourself to another company, and just observed. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the daily drama of leading our organizations. It’s tempting to tell ourselves that our methods are the best. Yet, a 90-minute field trip inside the office of another organization can be a major accelerator for your leadership journey.
That’s just what happened last week when we arranged for Stone Brewing Company President, Steve Wagner, to take a team of five employees to visitWD40 President and CEO, Garry Ridge, at the company’s San Diego headquarters. The mission: to learn what role culture plays in creating the WD40brand and performance. The outcome: the ability for Stone Brewing to springboard its own initiative to align its culture and brand integrity.
With a total international employee base of just over 400, Ridge shared insights he’s gained to help WD40 achieve annual sales of over $400 million in 2015 – that’s nearly $1 million per employee. Here are some of the Stone team’s top takeaways:
1. Create a learning environment. When Ridge was promoted from within as CEO, he knew that growth was being held back partly due to deep silos within the organization. “Those who knew the most about how things worked guarded that knowledge, which gave them power,” Ridge said. He immediately set to work to define the concept of learning moments. Over time, he built trust in the concept by showing that no one would be punished for trying something new and sharing knowledge about what worked and what did not. At today’s WD40, knowledge is shared and information moves easily.
2. Personalize accountability and responsibility. InHelping People Win at Work, a book co-authored with Ken Blanchard, Ridge shares the unique WD40 performance review system. Employees develop measurable, achievable goals that will help the company reach its annual strategic targets. They describe what ‘A’ work looks like, rate their own progress each quarter, and review these ratings with their manager. The manager’s role is to help employees achieve all As. Ridge says, “If you help your people get As, your performance management system will ignite them to blow away your customers with outstanding service. Because people who feel good about themselves want to return the favor.”
3. Get your values off the wall. WD40 doesn’t just want good performers, it wants good performers who are also good citizens. Ridge believes that values must be at the core of your business model, not just words engraved in a plaque on the wall. Not only does the company have six, clear-to-understand values, but they are ranked in order of importance. He explained, “Life is about values conflicts. When these conflicts arise, people need to know which value to focus on.” Employees are taught the values at orientation, assigned to ‘tour guides’ to help explain values in action, and hold themselves accountable for demonstrating the values, which make up 30% of their performance review.
In 1 ½ hours, the Stone team saw a company that was candid about sharing knowledge, committed to achieving results, and clear about what it stands for. They gained actionable insights to help them crystallize their values, and cultivate the very best of Stone.
Question: If you were asked to share how your culture is aligned with your performance, what would you share in 90 minutes?
![The 4 Must Have Pieces of the Engagement Puzzle]()
People, Uncategorized
Culture. What does that word actually mean? Though many have tried, no one has ever landed on a fixed, universal definition for organizational culture. The subject has been vigorously debated from the pages of the Harvard Business Review to the halls of MIT Sloan. What is not debated is that culture is part of the DNA of every organization. Whether your organizational culture is empowering or toxic depends greatly on two factors: shared experience and modeled leadership.
Consider this. When new employees join your organization, they step in on Day 1 with a set of preconceived beliefs based on past experience. They may believe that markets are finite and there is only so much business to go around. They may believe that success happens only when we beat our competitors. That in order to for us to win business, others must lose. Some have been taught that ethics and morals can be bent. Others have relied on the strict dictates of policies and procedures. That makes up the experience half of the equation.
The other half comes directly from modeled leadership. If the leaders of the organization are fixated on business development, channel expansion, and market domination, they are not likely spending any time intentionally trying to shape the culture. Unintentionally, however, they are sending very clear signals about what is important to them. They are the cultural architects of your organization and contribute these three very important things to the culture equation:
1. What is measured. Let’s face it. Culture can be hard to measure. Senior executives tend to shy away from anything with a fuzzy ROI. Yet, whether you measure it or not, your culture is showing up in your bottom line. Skilfully managed cultures can be a performance multiplier. Recent research by the Great Place to Work© Institute found that companies that actively invest in workplace culture yield nearly 2x the return over their competitors. They also typically report 65% less voluntary turnover, saving an average of $3,500 per employee in recruiting and training costs. If culture isn’t part of your KPI mix, you’re sending the signal that it’s unimportant.
2. What is rewarded. A recent study by O.C. Tanner found that employees report being recognized for their work as their most important motivator, over 20 times more than salary. Employees study what behaviors and achievements get rewarded, and naturally modify their work accordingly. Leaders who understand this connection create recognition programs that go beyond passing out paychecks. WD-40 CEO Garry Ridge proudly hosts the company’s annual People Choice Awards. Each year, heartfelt speeches are given by winners of coveted awards like “Best Mentor Coach” and “Best Team Player.” Leaders like Ridge know that coin-operated employees have no passion.
3. What is ignored. Leaders are bombarded with data, hold back-to-back meetings, and field urgent requests on a daily basis. When we need to respond to fast-moving competitive situations, it is tempting to tap only our direct reports for feedback. In his Harvard Business Review article “The Focused Leader,” New York Times bestselling author Daniel Goleman warns that this temptation is dangerous. He recommends that leaders practice expanding their focus of awareness. “A failure to focus on others leaves you clueless, and a failure to focus outward may leave you blindsided,” Goleman writes. What’s worse, leaders who ignore input from those outside their immediate circle are signaling to the rest of the organization that their input is irrelevant.
Leaders are the cultural architects of your organization. The key metrics they pay attention to, the contributions they reward, and range of their awareness directly impact both your organizational culture and your bottom line.
Question: What do you measure, reward and ignore? How is that impacting your organizational culture?
![The 4 Must Have Pieces of the Engagement Puzzle]()
People
A few weeks ago, I introduced the PULSE© coaching model that I use to help clients get their lives back in balance. The following is a recap: the first letter in the acronym – “P” for paradigm, “U” for unearth, and “L” for Linger. Last week was “S” for Surpass.
Now it is time to Experience…
The word Experience is a noun and a verb. It can be both a thing and an action. Are you ready to fully experience every experience of your life? This means experiencing emotions, events, and the everyday-ness of your life.
Have you become weary of going through the motions of your life? Have you ever driven home from work and you pull into the driveway and you don’t even remember driving? That’s going through life on autopilot. You’ve become detached and unplugged. When you stop experiencing your life you feel defeated, powerless, and overwhelmed which leads to a life filled with stress and frustration.
As I coach clients, I constantly reiterate the fact that you are in charge of how you ACT. When you constantly REACT to everything and everyone around you, you are giving away your power. When you live every day this way the years pass by and you are left feeling empty and that nothing is within your control. Soon bitterness and envy fill your heart and mind and you become jaded and judgmental.
Experience your life. Engage in your experiences. Stop being afraid to feel happy or sad or that anything good can happen in your life.
According to author Adrienne Jurado living (experiencing) your life fully is about discovering simple ways to lead an extraordinary life — one that is truly meaningful to you. One full of joy, laughter, magical moments, and fond memories. One that stirs your soul, brings tears to your eyes, drops you to your knees, and gives you a deep sense of satisfaction. One that makes a positive impact and enriches the lives of others.
It’s both a state of mind and a way of life.
It’s about…
Igniting passion
Evoking curiosity
Living consciously
Seizing opportunities
Uncovering potential
Thank you for taking the time to read about my exciting coaching model PULSE. If you’re ready to do the work, I’m ready to guide you and teach you innovative tools to help you shift your Paradigm, Unearth your strengths and gifts, Linger in the present, Surpass the thoughts that have held you back, and Experience your experiences.
Are you ready for the next step?
Message me directly or use the contact form on my page and let’s chat about what this exciting coaching journey looks like! https://execexcellence.wpengine.com/team/jenny-jacobs/
For over a decade Jenny Jacobs has studied the principles of healthy living, life balance, stress management, positive psychology, and self-development. Jenny is a dynamic speaker, coach, and blogger and is passionate about helping people integrate their personal and professional selves.
Driven by the premise that excellence is the result of aligning people, purpose and performance, Center for Executive Excellence facilitates training in leading self, leading teams and leading organizations.
![The 4 Must Have Pieces of the Engagement Puzzle]()
People
A few weeks ago, I introduced the PULSE© coaching model that I use to help clients get their lives back in balance. The following is a recap: the first letter in the acronym – “P” for paradigm and “U” for unearth. Last week was “L” for Linger.
We have learned over the past few weeks how to shift our Paradigm, Unearth our talents and strengths, and how to Linger in the present.
Now it’s time to Surpass and take our lives to the next level. Are you ready to move above and beyond the life that you’ve been living? Are you sick and tired of simply existing each day and living your life on auto-pilot?
Surpass toxic thoughts that have held you back. Surpass self-limiting behaviors you exhibit day after day that have kept you stuck and feeling powerless and stressed out.
Surpass: to become better, greater, or stronger than : exceed <surpassed her rivals> <surpassed all expectations>
: to go beyond : overstep
: to transcend the reach, capacity, or powers of <a beauty that surpasses description>
When you make the choice to implement new behaviors and new ways of thinking into your life you do better because you know better. According to author Angel Chernoff, in order to move forward we must give up the following:
1. First and foremost, give up the excuses you keep reciting to yourself.
Because all the excuses and explanations in the world won’t do you any good. They won’t add any value to your life or improve the quality of it by even the slightest margin. To fulfill your calling and get where you wish to go in life requires more than just thinking and talking. These feats require focused and sustained action. You just have to choose to actually do it.
Sooner or later you will come to realize that it’s not what you lose along the way that counts; it’s what you do with what you still have. When you let go of the past, forgive what needs forgiving, and move forward, you in no way change the past, you change the future.
2. Once you’re over the excuses, give up the idea that you don’t have what it takes.
You do have exactly what it takes. Will it be easy? Absolutely not! Nobody is going to blindside you and hit you as hard as life will. But it’s not about how hard life can hit you; it’s about how hard you can be hit and continue to move forward. That’s what true strength is. And that’s what winning the game of life is all about. So keep going.
In the end, all the small things make a big difference. Every step is crucial. Life isn’t about a single moment of great triumph and attainment. It’s about the trials and errors that slowly get you there – the blood, the sweat, the tears, and the small, inconsequential things you do on a day-to-day basis. It all matters in the end – every step, every regret, every decision, and every affliction.
3. Give up focusing on what’s wrong, and start noticing what’s right.
What you see often depends entirely on what you are looking for. Do your best and surrender the rest. The happiest and most successful people do not live with a certain set of circumstances, but rather with a certain set of attitudes. Choosing to be positive and grateful for what you have now is going to determine how you’re going to live the rest of your life. So look for something positive about today. Even if you have to look a little harder than usual, it still exists.
So don’t wait until everything is just right; it will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what! Get started now! With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger. And no matter what happens, just do your best and appreciate what you’re learning. You won’t enjoy your life if you don’t enjoy your challenges.
4. Give up the tendency to get too caught up in other people’s judgments and opinions.
Honestly, the biggest prison you will likely ever live in is your fear of what other people think. You cannot let other people tell you who you are or what you want. You have to decide that for yourself. When you’re making big decisions, remember, what you think of yourself and your life is more important than what people think of you. Don’t let others make you feel guilty for living YOUR life. As long as you’re not hurting anyone else, live it YOUR way.
The bottom line is that when you spend too much time concentrating on everyone else’s perception of you, or who everyone else wants you to be, you eventually forget who you truly are. So don’t fear the judgments of others; you know in your heart who you are and what’s true to you.
A Process & a Journey
Surpassing old thoughts and behaviors is a process and a journey. It takes patience. We often want everything to happen overnight. We want results NOW. The exciting part of this coaching model is that you can implement these tools into your life right now. But it still takes practice. It takes perseverance. No one is perfect. No one will ever be perfect. Perfection is not the goal here. Being your BEST self is the goal. Plugging back into your life is the goal.
Once you fully immerse yourself in this process you will begin to surpass – become better, greater, or stronger than you’ve ever been before.
Are you ready for the next step? Message me directly or use the contact form on my page and let’s chat about this exciting coaching journey together! https://execexcellence.wpengine.com/team/jenny-jacobs/
For over a decade Jenny Jacobs has studied the principles of healthy living, life balance, stress management, positive psychology, and self-development. Jenny is a dynamic speaker, coach, and blogger and is passionate about helping people integrate their personal and professional selves.
Driven by the premise that excellence is the result of aligning people, purpose and performance, Center for Executive Excellence facilitates training in leading self, leading teams and leading organizations.
![The 4 Must Have Pieces of the Engagement Puzzle]()
People
A few weeks ago, I introduced the PULSE© coaching model that I use to help clients get their lives back in balance. The following is a recap: the first letter in the acronym – “P” for paradigm and “U” for unearth.
This week is “L” for Linger. Doesn’t the word linger sound pleasant?
We linger as we leisurely stroll through a flower garden stopping to smell a beautiful rose. We linger as we kiss the soft head of a newborn baby. We linger to stop and pick up a beautiful seashell on the beach. Ahhhh…..
That’s totally real life, right? Everyday life allows us nothing but the ability to linger all day every day in all the things we enjoy and derive pleasure from.
No?
Perhaps you might more relate with words such as STRESS, BUSYNESS, ANXIETY, FRUSTRATION, OVERWHELMED?
In many situations we have no control over our circumstances. We have no control over traffic. We have no control over how strangers, our coworkers, or families act. The one thing we have control over is how we act in the face of stressors. When we constantly react to everything and everyone around us we cause ourselves more stress and frustration.
As you may have noticed, I love to list the dictionary definition of words. I love to delve into the origin of words especially in this case when I have very specifically chosen the words for this coaching model.
Linger (verb): to remain or stay on in a place longer than is usual or expected, as if from reluctance to leave.
It is often easy to linger in the wrong things. We tend to linger in doubt, fear, or bitterness. As I wrote in by post on paradigm shift, we need to shift our thinking and linger in the present. When you begin to truly focus on living in the present beautiful things begin to happen.
Personal development blogger Steve Pavlina states,
“I was initially concerned that focusing too much on the present moment would make me shortsighted. But my experience has been just the opposite. I’m still able to make plans for the future and work on long-term goals. In the past I would set goals because I believed that achieving those goals would increase my happiness. But now the flow goes in reverse. Today I set goals to increase my expression of the happiness I’m already enjoying.”
This perfectly explains the power of dwelling on and lingering in the present. As I coach clients through the PULSE© coaching model I focus on the concept that when you linger in the present it calms your mind, lowers stress, and allows you to move forward. Living in the present is not about NOT making plans for the future. It is making right choices in the present that lead you into the future in a more empowering way. Lingering in the present is not an easy task. It takes practice. Even as you are reading this article is your mind wandering off into the future about all the things you have to do? Maybe it’s going beyond next week into next month about all the things you need to get done… On and on…
Your brain doesn’t know the difference between perception and reality. In that moment when you are thinking about everything other than what you are doing in the present you are essentially allowing your brain to tell you that you need to do those “future” things NOW. That is a perception. Not a reality. I’m not talking about sitting cross-legged on the floor and spending hours meditating. It is simply a reigning-in of your thoughts to this moment. Take a breath. Relax your shoulders. Do the next right thing.
When you make the choice to start living in the present it is developing a new way of thinking where you stop regretting or obsessing about the past and you stop fretting about the future. You make the decision to focus on NOW. This is a simple concept yet it is very difficult to do. And it’s not something that happens just one magical time in your life and then you’re done! It is a moment-by-moment practice and a journey.
You literally have to tell your brain to STOP. Focus on the present. Focus on the sound of your breath. Focus on what is happening now and embrace it. Linger in THIS moment.
Are you ready for the next step? Message me directly or use the contact form on my page and let’s chat about this exciting coaching journey together! https://execexcellence.wpengine.com/team/jenny-jacobs/
For over a decade Jenny Jacobs has studied the principles of healthy living, life balance, stress management, positive psychology, and self-development. Jenny is a dynamic speaker, coach, and blogger and is passionate about helping people integrate their personal and professional selves.
Driven by the premise that excellence is the result of aligning people, purpose and performance, Center for Executive Excellence facilitates training in leading self, leading teams and leading organizations.
