Archives for January 2007

Canada’s Globe and Mail wrote about Teva Neuroscience today. Teva was selected as this year’s best small business to work for in Canada out of 119 companies that were under consideration. In the Globe and Mail article I was impressed by their focus on the 3 ‘clarities’ of structure, direction, and measurement. To Teva, engagement is much more than having rah rah events and trinkets to perk employees up.

If we are not hearing clearly we may use a cotton swab to gently clean out our ear – if we are not clear on our performance we can use the 3 clarity questions to be “more here” in our organizations.

I was able to ask Brigitte Bernard, Teva Canada’s senior manager of human resources, about the clarities during an on-line chat hosted by the Globe and Mail. In addition, Einar Westerlund of the Queen’s/Hewitt team that was involved in the award, responded. Here is my question and their comments:

David Zinger from Winnipeg writes: I appreciate the section:  We focus on three  clarities – Clarity of structure: Where do I fit in with this company? Clarity of direction: Where am I going? Clarity of measurement: How do I know I did a good job?

Brigitte: For the on-line discussion I would appreciate if you would elaborate on this and also answer the question specifically for yourself within Teva Neuroscience.

Brigitte Bernard: To elaborate on the 3 clarities:

• clarity of structure speaks to the role an individual has and the responsibilities and accountabilities in their day-to-day activities, and also ensures understanding of what other people do in relation to your role. This clarity gives people a better and broader understanding of the business we’re in.
• clarity of direction gives people a sense for what we are trying to achieve and where the company is going short and long term. This allows people to align their activities with the broad corporate objectives.
• clarity of measurement gives people a tangible signal for when they are doing the right thing and an appreciation of their individual effort in relation to the overall success of the organization.

Einar Westlund: From where I stand and what I know of Teva’s actual survey feedback data, the company scores exceptionally well, overall (about 1.6 times higher than average organization in overall database) in engagement driver area we call “Managing Performance,” which usually includes the last “clarity item” mentioned above (measurement) in addition to many others.

First two clarities typically refer more to discussions employees have (or should be having) with their managers (or qualified resource) about their career interests and aspirations, career paths, what’s needed to get ahead in the organization, what specific opportunities are available, etc. This area is typically a challenge for the smaller, earlier-stage growth enterprise and requires some creativity to address in ways which meet both employee desires and corporate realities. Career pathing, succession planning etc. at level seen in larger organizations may not be practicable so much in the smaller firm.

Get Engaged:

1. How clear are you on the 3 ‘clarities’?

• Clarity of structure: Where do I fit in with this company?
• Clarity of direction: Where am I going?
• Clarity of measurement: How do I know I did a good job?

2. If you are not clear, what do you need to do today and this week to increase your clarity?

3. Brigitte did not answer my question about herself. I respect her choice not to respond in a public forum. More important than her response is how you would answer the question for yourself. Take 10 minutes to write your response for each clarity. This may be a powerful step in being clear about your workplace engagement.

Technorati Tags : Teva Neuroscience, employee engagement, leadership, David Zinger

What’s in a name?

In employee engagement, some people make their mark while others sign their name. I believe the key is to sign your name.

Engagement thrives when infused with playfulness. In the spirit of playfulness I have created an acronym, based on my last name. The acronym outlines 6 powerful keys I apply to unlock superior performance and achieve full engagement. Because the key is my own name it is easy to remember and I am fully integrated into the process of engagement.

At the end of the article I will encourage you to develop your own signature approach to engagement.

The ZINGER Signature:

Z is for Zest. Zest was the name for a brand of soap that was famous for not leaving a soap film and making you feel squeaky clean. When we work with zest we experience gusto – vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment. With zest in my work I wash away lethargy and disengagement, I clean up on tasks needing my energy and attention, and I don’t leave a soap film!

I is for Interaction. The specific interaction I seek are the high quality interactions profiled by Jane Dutton that both energize and engage. High quality interactions (HQI) are based on positive regard, trust, and active connection. We are present and genuine as the HQI infuses both participants in the interaction with greater vitality, giving them more energy and capacity to work. HQIs can take place in seconds, are powerful in their simplicity, and we have thousands of opportunities each day to engage in them. I monitor and strive to maintain frequent high quality interactions every day.

N is for Nourishment. I am nourished by performances that feed both my personal and professional development. I target projects and opportunities that go beyond putting bread on the table and create an experience of psychological nourishment and genuine satisfaction. My barometer for nourishing performances is when I would perform the work even if no one was paying me.

G is for Gratitude. Engagement is anemic at work when we feel a sense of entitlement. Gratitude connects us with others. A sense of gratitude has been shown by researchers Robert Emmons and Mike McCullough to greatly increase joy, happiness, and life satisfaction. I often think about who I am so thankful for to be able to do the work I perform. I frequently dedicate a day of work or a specific task to someone who helped me be who I am today. My gratitude ranges from my parents and family to teachers, mentors, coaches, and clients.

E is for Energy. Energy is the raw matter for engagement. Physical energy provides the fuel for a large quantity of engaging tasks, mental energy gives focus to work, emotional energy provides the experience of quality in engagement, while spiritual energy gives engagement force and purpose beyond us. I work at balancing and leveraging my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy in the service of full engagement for the benefit of others, the organization, and myself.

R is for Resources. Our ability to transform our personal resources into work is the mainstay of engagement. Many people I work with fail to see or apply their vast resources – from strengths, skills, ability, and knowledge to experiences, competencies and relationships. I keep focused on my resources and I challenge myself to continually leverage these resources in my work.

ZINGER stands for the unique keys of engagement achieved through Zest, Involvement, Nourishment, Gratitude, Energy, and Resourcefulness. My name acts as a personal search engine as I accelerate these drivers of engagement at work.

Get Engaged:

1. Use your last name to create a unique personal engagement acronym.
2. If you work with someone who is disengaged, use their last name to develop an action plan to facilitate their engagement.
3. Perhaps you have a short last name and need just a bit more to be fully engaged. In that case – buy a vowel. I suggest buying an “I” to foster initiative and industry as you take personal ownership of your own engagement.

Who said there is no I in engagement?

Technorati Tags : employee engagement, play, Zinger

The brotherhood of the rope stretches from mountains to subways and offices. Although the brotherhood of the rope concept applied to mountain climbers I believe we can all connect with a rope of caring for others.

Here are two examples of the brotherhood in action. One is public while the other came to the surface during a coaching conversation with a participant in one of my coaching workshops.

The public hero was Wesley Autrey, a construction worker who rescued a student who had fallen onto the tracks at a New York subway station.

Autrey jumped onto the tracks and rolled with Cameron Hollopeter into the trough between the rails at 137th Street station just as a train was coming into the station. Two cars passed over the men before stopping just inches above them. Autrey has received many accolades for his effort.

The more private connection occurred during a course I conducted on coaching skills for leaders. One of the very experienced managers asked how you get someone to be coached who does not want to be coached. I said, “let’s turn this question into a practice session and I will coach you and the other attendees will get a chance to witness a session.” He agreed.

To be honest, I anticipated based on his initial comments that he had given up on this marginal or minimal performer. Instead I heard many strong threads of the brotherhood of the rope. The employee was floundering and not doing what was expected. The employee was causing grief for his supervisors and seemed to have a complaint about everything. In this organization it is hard to remove someone so one strategy to deal with the issue is to move the person to another department.

But this was not the attitude or approach of the manager I was coaching. He was determined to help the employee. He contemplated a move not to remove the employee but to help the employee get moving.

The manager wanted to figure out what he could change or do differently to help the employee, and he was not prepared to give up on the employee even if the employee was ready to give up on himself.

You only reach a summit one step at a time and I saluted this manager’s willingness to keep taking constructive steps to bring the best out of this difficult employee. Although there were no public accolades for his effort, I told the manger I appreciated his caring and I would be thrilled to be managed by someone like him.

Knots

1. What are the public or private ways you can stretch out your rope of caring to be of assistance to another?
2. When was the last time you witnessed a strong helping connection between people?
3. What action can you take today to pull someone up or to protect them when they fall down?

Lora Banks, a coach – wonderful blogger – and the mother of 4 children, tagged me. Many bloggers have been tagged and Phil Gerbyshak has been tagged over 3 times. You need to learn to run faster Phil! If you are tagged you are to write 5 things readers might not know about you. As Lora pointed out this is about creating connections and as this is the year of the Brotherhood of the Rope in this blog I will now share 5 threads:

1. I had an imaginary playmate who was a combination of half-bear and half-human. I called him Jampy. Jampy taught me about imagination and empathy and my mother always said there was a place for Jampy at the supper table if he wanted to come by. Jampy nourished me as a child.
2. While learning to fly I goofed up practicing an incipient spin and lost 4,000 feet very quickly and came within a second or two of crashing into the ground. As the plane was rapidly spinning to the ground I wondered why my life was not passing before my eyes and it was a swear word that moved me into correct action by pushing towards the ground rather than pulling away. I have a faint fondness for swear words and I learned the best way out of something is by moving fully into it.
3. I have a stone that I picked up from Long Beach in Pacific Rim National Park on the west coast of Vancouver Island. To be honest, I am not sure if I picked up the stone or if the stone picked me. Anyway, we have been hanging around together for 30 years. The stone is a good teacher, it has taught me more than any university course. The stone has been used as a healing rock, it has been handled by thousands of people in my workshops and I love how it heats up as it is passed around. It has been called a baby Grandfather and had a bath in 2 different sweat lodges. When I die I would love my children to journey to Pacific Rim National Park and throw it back into the Pacific Ocean for me.
4. I have a strong streak of gentle tenacity. I completed my first marathon at 51 years of age and I run really hard at the end of races because I like to finish strong and I want to pass rather than be passed. I don’t have great speed, perhaps little more than a waddle, but it feels fast to me and I love running hard near the end. I think part of this spirit is a legacy of being an Outward Bound graduate 30 years ago and living the motto: “to serve, to strive, and not to yield.”
5. I am the father of a 17-year old son. I also am the father of Katharine and Luke, 15-year old twins. When they were little, even after hearing their names, many people asked if they were identical. I DON’T THINK SO. I have learned that we are all unique – even when we are born 5 minutes apart and live in the same family. Yet many people fail to see our uniqueness.

Click here to read Zingers – if you want to learn more about me and my quirky side.

I am now supposed to tag some other bloggers. I feel like I am standing in the middle of a field watching everyone run around and wondering who I should go after. I’d tag Jampy but as far as I know he doesn’t have a blog.

So rather than a tag, I offer an invitation. If you are a blogger and have not been tagged consider yourself tagged when you finish reading this line. If you are not a blogger, what are 5 things that people don’t know about you?

Keep climbing, keep caring,

David

A  report last year identified seven indicators of employee engagement. 

 The independent study, conducted by WarrenShepell and Canadian HR Reporter, surveyed more than 300 organizational leaders across Canada.  There were strong links between the presence of seven top job and workplace factors and positive employee mental health, a lower rate of turnover, and satisfaction.

The following list shows the 7 factors and the relative presence of each factor in Canadian workplaces:

1. Trust senior management — 37%

2. Asked for their ideas and opinions on important matters — under 50%

3. Clearly understand the organization’s vision and strategic direction — 33%

4. Trust their supervisors — 42%

5. Receive recognition and praise for good work — under 50%

6. Have a clear say in decisions that affect their work — 34%

7. Perceive their supervisors as caring and considerate of their well-being — 45%

Not one of the results was above 50%. We obviously have a lot of room for improvement in the 7 during 2007. According to Rod Phillips,  president and CEO of WarrenShepell,  “while business leaders may recognize the importance of the top seven factors there is still a large gap between what employees need and what is being provided in Canadian workplaces.”

Get engaged:

1. How can you contribute to growth in these numbers in your workplace?

2. How do you address the issues around the lack of trust?

3. Click here to read a basic Wikipedia entry on trust.