Employee Engagement with David Zinger
The best in employee engagement...
It is all right to smile near death, even to laugh. God is said to have made the anteater and the horned toad. Each time I gaze on them I smile, knowing somehow it’s all right to be human enough to smile, even to laugh, around anything human or divine. Even around death. God made funny-looking animals and he made man weak enough to die. ~ Robert E. Kavanaugh, Facing Death.
Photo Credit: Giant Anteater by http://flickr.com/photos/gchpaco/3849678/
The acceleration of focus on employee engagement since 2005
This is the second in a five part series interview with Graeme Ginsberg from London. Graeme is the Managing Editor, Research and Reports for Melcrum – the international research and training company focused on internal communication. I requested the interview go get a better understanding of Melcrum’s research and their current publication: The Practitioner’s Guide, Essential Techniques for Employee Engagement.
Aside from the changing business environment, are there any other factors that you think have encouraged such an acceleration of focus on employee engagement since 2005?
I think that socioeconomic trends have had a colossal impact. Organizations have been understanding and adapting to the changing business environment, but they’ve also been understanding and adapting to the changes in employee attitudes, values and behaviors. Ten years ago, the Internet was beginning to give people more tools to question what they were being told. They could quickly and easily go online, get back all sorts of data and viewpoints, and develop their own, informed opinions. Since then, this has really mushroomed – not only access to more information, but also the ability to express themselves, to discuss and share views extensively through interactive social media – blogs, online video like YouTube, podcasting, wikis and social networks like Facebook and Second Life.
People use these technologies in their personal lives and they expect to use them at work. They aren’t going to accept traditional, ‘static’ communications and channels anymore. Even email has become old-fashioned and frustrating for them – their inboxes are totally overloaded with endless emails containing lines and lines of dry text. Organizations have really had to re-examine how they phrase, present and deliver their communications to employees. Quite simply, if communications aren’t engaging, employees won’t give them the time of day.
We did a social media survey in June 2007 for our report How to Use Social Media to Engage Employees and I think this really illustrates just how seriously organizations have been taking engagement and changes in employee behaviors and needs when it comes to technology. For example, half the respondents (communication and HR professionals) said their organizations were already using online video to engage employees and another 27% said they would be introducing it by June 2008. Meanwhile, a quarter of respondents said their organizations were already using online social networks, and another quarter were set to introduce them by June 2008. Organizations are definitely taking note of what people are doing in their personal lives. But, there again, it’s not totally surprising. A lot of the time we’re talking about “organizations listening to their audiences”, but it’s not “us and them” – a lot of these respondents have been using these technologies in their personal lives themselves.
Part 3 (next post): Key Drivers of Employee Engagement.
Introduction to the interview.
This is a five part series interview with Graeme Ginsberg from London. Graeme is the Managing Editor, Research and Reports for Melcrum – the international research and training company focused on internal communication. I requested the interview go get a better understanding of Melcrum’s research and their current publication: The Practitioner’s Guide, Essential Techniques for Employee Engagement.
Today I am pleased to interview Graeme Ginsberg. Graeme is based in London and is the managing editor of research and reports for Melcrum. Graeme I was excited to read the abstract from your new Practitioner’s Guide, Essential Techniques for Employee Engagement. Thank you for agreeing to the interview.Are you surprised that employee engagement is not on the agenda of 19% of organizations and just a general philosophy in the people practices of 54% of other organizations?
For the 19%, I am surprised, absolutely. I think to myself, “How can any organization these days afford not to put motivating employees, helping them understand the strategic direction of the organization and their part in delivering it, and encouraging them to go the extra mile, at the top of their agenda?” The market is increasingly fluid and changeable, and organizations need to stay sharp and up their game if they’re going to compete, or in some cases even survive. My guess, though, is that for many of these 19%, it isn’t a lack of understanding about how important having a motivated, engaged workforce is.
I think it’s more a case of the leaders and managers having to juggle lots of time-consuming, stressful projects and responsibilities and feeling they just don’t have the time to conduct research, develop engagement strategies and tactics, change team structures and find new ways of working. To them, an engaged workforce would be a ‘nice-to-have luxury’ rather than a ‘must have’. They’re too busy ‘firefighting’ to recognize that it’s probably the other way round – engagement is actually a must have.
With an engaged workforce, the organization would be more secure and perform better, and they wouldn’t have to do so much firefighting! Meanwhile, with the 54% of organizations that are incorporating engagement as “just a general philosophy”, I think how surprising these results are will depend on how much you stress the word “just” – too much stress and it implies that this approach is an inferior one. It may be argued that incorporating engagement more generally into people practices is better for the organization than having a formal engagement program. After all, shouldn’t we be looking to engage employees as much as possible – through all our leadership and manager communications, change communications, business strategy communications, and so on – and not just within the context of an engagement program.
Perhaps organizations have the potential to achieve higher, more sustained levels of engagement by letting the ‘spirit’ of engagement flow through all their initiatives – even those areas that might be considered “necessary but by their nature not intuitively natural platforms for engagement” (for example, health and safety messages) or “difficult enough just to get the information across” (for example, financial results). Tim Haynes, Director of Executive Development at GlaxoSmithKline, makes this point really strongly in the Guide in the context of Appreciative Inquiry and employee surveys. I would think that there isn’t ultimately any one correct approach for all, though – it’ll depend on the nature of the organization, the strategic direction, the structures in place, the culture and so on.
Part 2 (next post): The acceleration of focus on employee engagement.
Do you need more contents to be contented?
He who has once known the contentment
that comes simply through being content
will never again be otherwise than contented.
Tao Te Ching
Photo Credit: Overloaded by http://flickr.com/photos/michaniskin/116330228/
This is an employee engagement extra.
I have put this video up on this site before but I think it speaks so strongly about engagement in life and possible employee engagement at work. If you have not listened to it I highly recommend you take 5 minutes to be inspired by Eddi Reader from the Ted Talks.
If you do not see the video in your browser, click here to view/listen to it at the TED Talks site.
Singer/songwriter Eddi Readerperforms “What You Do With What You’ve Got,” a meditation on a very TED theme: how to use your gifts and talents to make a difference. “What’s the use of strength and muscle / if you only push and shove?” She’s accompanied on guitar by her songwriting partner Boo Hewerdine, and on piano by TED Music Director Thomas Dolby.
Most secrets are not secrets at all.
We won’t die happy if we keep thinking someone has a secret and if we just hear it our lives will be transformed.
According to the definitions offered by a Google search of “secret” a secret is:
This makes me question the book about about the five secrets you must discover before you die. How will I ever DIE HAPPY TODAY if I don’t know the secrets? I like John Izzo and I think he writes well but I don’t think he needed to rely on secrets to present his book on happiness and meaning based on 235 interviews.
His book is titled: The Five Secrets You Must Discover before You Die.
Here is a snippet from the publicity for the book:
From town barbers to chiefs to CEO’s, these people had over 18,000 years of life experience between them. He asked them questions like, What brought you the greatest joy? What do you wish you had learned sooner? What ultimately mattered and what didn’t? Here Izzo shares their stories – funny, moving and thought-provoking — and the Five Secrets he learned from listening to them.
18,000 years of life experience, are you ready to hear the secrets:
Wow, who would have ever guessed?
I don’t know about you but I thought this was good common sense even if it was not all that common. Perhaps the secret is that we keep this information from ourselves rather than acting upon it.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think you’ll get hurt reading this book, and I do believe the “secrets” can help you if you practice them but can we stop trying to lure people in with clever titles that make people feel that they are out of the loop and out of the know.
Oh, by the way, I am sorry I revealed the secrets, I am such a blabber mouth, but then Jim Bolt shared them over at Fast Company and that’s how I found out.
Photo credit: The Secret Passage Way to the Treasure by http://flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/799314036/
Can we learn anything about employee engagement from the field of improvisation? My answer: absolutely.
But why go with my answer when we have the author of Improv Wisdom here to share insights and practices. Tom Peters, one of the top management speakers/consultants has included Patricia Madson as one of his cool friends for her thoughts and insights that can help managers!
It is my pleasure and honor to introduce Patricia Ryan Madson to you. Ms. Madson wrote one of my all time favorite books, Improv Wisdom: Don’t prepare, Just Show Up.
Patricia was on the drama faculty of Stanford University since 1977. I encourage you to read through this interview and to use the creative lens of improvisation principles articulated by Patricia to see how you can elicit, foster, and enhance employee engagement in yourself and others.
Patricia can you briefly explain the subtitle of this book (don’t prepare, just show up) it seems so counter intuitive to how most people see work and life.
You are right that the injunction, “Don’t prepare, just show up” flies in the face of conventional wisdom. And, this is precisely why it is useful. The real emphasis of the two phrases is on the “Just Show Up” part. When you think about it, preparing may actually keep us from getting things done. It is not uncommon to spend our lives “getting ready to do stuff” instead of actually taking the plunge.
The key thing, in improvisation is to START THE SHOW. GET THERE. Move your body to the place where it is happening . . . then, the action can begin. When our minds are absorbed in the act of preparing, (in planning ahead, in crossing all our “t’s”, etc) we are not available to the present moment. We are missing out on what is happening right now, right here. And, it is precisely the here and now that is our locus of power. I advise players (and this includes professionals as well as students) to substitute ATTENTION for preparation. Become an expert on THIS MOMENT.
Planning can become an end in itself. Don’t let this rob you of the power that comes from engaging in real time with all your senses. (The second and third maxims in my book give a more thorough explanation. of this advice. )
In the book you have 13 fabulous maxims ranging from say yes to enjoy the ride. Do you personally have a favorite maxim or a maxim that is most helpful to you?
Yes, I think my favorite is maxim 9: “Wake up to the gifts.” It is so easy for my mind is to see the problem, notice the flaw, ruminate on what is wrong with the situation. This maxim is a splash of cold water to remind me to realign my perspective. And, I don’t just mean “positive thinking” . . . I mean that it is important to train the mind to actually see the specific gifts that are present and around us all the time.
If you are like me , I NOTICE (and sometimes curse) the driver who rudely cuts me off in traffic. But, I can go for years without taking notice of all the courteous drivers who obey the laws, stay in their lanes, drive safely and even allow me to merge onto the freeway. When others drive safely, I BENEFIT. So, in some real way, ordinary traffic is a gift to me. When I start looking for the ways in which I benefit from the acts of others I open up a new world of privilege. It is easy to see what is wrong. It sticks out. Can you find a way to notice what is right, who is helping, who is making your path smooth? “Waking up to the gifts” is ultimately about seeing our lives (both at work and at home) from a new perspective–a realistic perspective– which is not egocentric.
There is a book with the wonderful title: Thirsty, Swimming in the Lake (by David K. Reynolds, an American anthropologist). I see most of us as being in this pickle. We are literally surrounded by the things we are seeking. When we “Wake up to the gifts” we are able to counter the nay-saying mind, the selfish mind, the mind that is only self-interested.
It strikes me that “employee engagement” has as a fundamental goal developing habits of mind and body that increase our awareness of others. Waking up to the gifts invites you every day to notice how much others are doing for you. Look for the specific ways that you benefit from the work of others. Further, when we see the gifts it becomes natural to say “thank you.” Saying thank you a lot is the mark of an attentive manager and employee. (or parent or spouse . . .)
It seems to me that many disengaged employees say no, not just to work but to their organization and maybe even themselves. Is there an authentic way they can begin to say yes to work and engagement?
I’m afraid that you are right in this. Just earning a paycheck may be what some of us are doing. . . rather than “making a contribution” or “doing useful work,” or “making a life”
For the disengaged I’d say: “What have you got to lose? Why not see what happens if you change your attitude instead of just thinking about changing your job? Apathy becomes its own reward. It is all too easy to look outside of ourselves and blame “the company” or “our boss”, “the economy” or even “the times we live in.”
I would suggest “stop finding fault and casting blame” and see what happens if you look at your job to see “what you are receiving from it?” Make a list of all the things you receive from your position being an employee. Include material things (paycheck, benefits, etc.) as well as other kinds of benefits–such as a having a desk and a computer– being part of a support system– having job training– etc. See how long you can make your list of “what you receive from working where you do.” Avoid any sarcasm or negative jibes.
Engagement is about connecting to what you do . . . to your purpose. I tell a story in the book about a waitress who was full of life–full of enthusiasm and pride in what she was doing in a small sandwich shop. She was alive inside her job, taking every opportunity to serve, to do her job well. Her smile will stay with me for a long time. I don’t think it would occur to her to ask that her job “be fulfilling.” Instead she GAVE MEANING to what she was doing. This was inspiring. I think many of those disengaged workers are truly, “Thirsty, swimming in the lake” . . . if they could only wake up to it.
To me, one of the strongest improv maxims is take care of each other. One way I heard it expressed in improvisation is that we are here to make the other person look good. Do you have a recommended activity to help people in the workplace take care of each other?
A great way to “take care of each other” is to acknowledge each other’s work. NOTICE what others are doing and comment on it favorably. I’ve never met a worker who gets enough appreciation. You can never say thank you enough. In addition pay attention to what others are doing, and if there is something YOU can do to support their work or fill in a gap– just do it.
Improvisers do this all the time: they see something that “needs to be done” and they just do it.
Not because it is “in their job description” but simply because it helps the work move along. It needs to be done, and I saw it. Step out of the pigeon hole of “what is my job description?” Work for the greater good of the company, for the welfare of your colleagues, and ultimately at the end of the day, I’d predict that you will find yourself “engaged.”
And, don’t worry about “burnout”. It isn’t work that burns people out . . . it is RESENTING the work you are doing. Do the job well. That the best way I know to create a fulfilling work life.
Patricia your book is loaded with try this exercises to move the reader beyond word consumption to active engagement. What are you trying these days to stay engaged with your current work focus?What a wonderful question. I am trying to be a better partner to my husband. I am attempting to listen more carefully and more honestly when he is talking about a subject that i don’t have a personal interest in. I want to support him instead of turning away to things that interest me. This is a challenge. I don’t always do it well.
Also, now that I am retired I have a lot more discretionary time. I’m pursuing a passion of mine: botanical art. I have included a picture of an apple I just did with colored pencil. And, your readers should know that even with all the “improv wisdom” in my pocket,
Drawing by Patricia Ryan Madson
I am sometimes engaged fully and sometimes I’m not. But when I find myself off the track I have some tools to get me back on course. I really appreciate the chance to chat with your readers. I want to wish everyone good fortune as they face the challenges of daily life. Aren’t we lucky to live in a world where we can help each other become happier at what we do. May you all “enjoy the ride.
*****
To learn more about Patricia Ryan Madson and Improv Wisdom visit her website www.improvwisdom.com I also encourage you to click here to read the interview she did for Tom Peter’s cool friends series.
Here is the cure for procrastination.
Of course, because of fear, we often procrastinate about fully realizing this.
It is the denial of death that is partially responsible for people living empty, purposeless lives; for when you live as if you’ll live forever, it becomes too easy to postpone the things you know you must do. You live your life in preparation for tomorrow or in remembrance of yesterday; and meanwhile, each today is lost. In contrast, when you fully understand that each day you awaken could the the last you have, you take the time that day to grow, to become more of who you really are, to reach out to other human beings.
Photo Credit: Waiting for a moment by http://flickr.com/photos/rnugraha/131820701/
Employee Engagement: Monday Morning Percolator #43
Sometimes as writers we wonder if anyone is reading what we write.
You sure are!
Thank you.
I decided in September of 2007 to change this website from a generic static website to a more dynamic integrated web site publishing platform. We have moved from a world where the blog was an extra on a website to where the blog and other social media is the home page.
Here were my statistics for the month of August 2007:
Here were my statistics for the month of January 2008:
Your interest is a big part of what keeps me engaged. Thank you.
Photo Credit: Thank You, to all of my friends by http://flickr.com/photos/januszbc/1278760904/
David Zinger
The waves of employee engagement just keep flowing as organizations and individuals not only recognize the importance of engagement but take action to foster more authentic employee engagement within their organization.
Carmine Gallo, a Business Week columnist chipped in with the growing tide of recognition for the importance of employee engagement.
Creating a Great Place to Work
The research and consulting firm Great Place to Work Institute recently issued its annual list of the best companies to work for in the U.S. ….While benefits are important, our conversations show that employee engagement is crucial—employees want to work in an environment where they have a voice.
Griffin Hospital leaders tell me the secret to landing on the list for eight straight years is a policy of open communication and action with their patients, employees, and volunteers. They say their managers go beyond simply listening to actively soliciting input, and managers turn that information into tangible improvements.
How crucial is your employee engagement?
If you would like to get involved in some crucial and engaging conversations about employee engagement and the difference it can make for individuals, organizations, and leaders join The Employee Engagement Network.
Photo Credit: Crashing Wave by http://flickr.com/photos/clearlyambiguous/29529587/
Official Launch February 2nd 2008
Die Happy Today is a unique self-development blog devoted to providing you with creative and different ideas on living fully. I don’t want to die today and I don’t want you to die today. But if either of us were to die today could we say that we died on a day that we were authentically happy.
Self-development with attitude. This site is self-help with attitude. You will encounter a strong personal voice on the topic of self-help. I absolutely promise never to tell you to create SMART goals, cajole you to win one for the gipper, or trivialize your problems by saying when life throws you a lemon make lemonade. I am tired of recycled Dale Carnegie. I read him when I was 12, over 40 years ago. Don’t get me wrong, I think he had a lot to offer but I don’t want to read anymore recycled and tired versions of his work. If I want to learn the ideas of Dale Carnegie I will read Dale Carnegie.
Invitations not impositions. I am tired of self-development speakers and writers making impositions. It works like this: If you just follow my advice, buy my mastery series, hire me as your coach, or take my exclusive one-time-only-designed-just-for-you-packaged-course you will live happily ever after. I don’t want to make impositions or make false promises. I will offer you invitations but like the Buddha said, you must be a lamp unto yourself.
No more positive thinking. I am positive that I am tired of positive thinkers. Sometimes it just seems so false and lacking in realness. If my glass is half empty I don’t need to think about it, I just need to pour more water into it! Bad things happen to both bad and good people. I am not a negative thinker either. I believe in constructive thinking where we look at the role our thoughts, expectations, and beliefs play in the day we have participated in constructing.
Expect contradictions. We have a convoluted brain that seems to resemble a cauliflower to me. If you are looking for consistency go buy cheese whiz or eat smooth rather than crunchy peanut butter. Expect contradictions, ambiguities, uncertainties, and complexity here. I believe it was Walt Whitman who once said, “Do I contradict myself, very well I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.”
Why read David Zinger’s Die Happy Today?
You will see 1 or 2 articles a week at this site plus a number of short snippets – quotations and a comment on topics such as happiness, death, and self-development.
You don’t get another life like this one. You will never again play this role and experience this life as it’s been given to you. You will never again experience the world as in this life, in this set of circumstances in quite this way, with these parents, children, and families. You will never have quite this set of friends again. You will never experience the earth with all its wonders in this time again. Don’t wait for one last look at the ocean, the sky, the stars, or a loved one. Go look now. ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross & David Kessler in Life Lessons.
This site will formally launch today - February 2, 2008.
I hope you have a Happy Ground Hog Day!
For the 117th year on February 2nd, millions around the world will breathlessly await the most famous furry forecaster, “Punxsutawney Phil’s” annual prediction of an end to winter. February 2nd brings the most-watched weather forecast of the year — and the only one led by a rodent! Legend has it that on this morning, if a groundhog can see its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If it cannot see its shadow, spring is on the way.
The result: PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — Brace yourself for more wintry weather. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Saturday, leading the groundhog to forecast six more weeks of winter.
What does Ground Hog Day have to do with Die Happy Today? Not much unless you believe in shadows, ground hogs, or they both have 3 words in the title and end in day. Now that is a stretch but not much more of a stretch then placing your faith in Phil and his forecast.
I think February 2nd is a nice break in the middle of January and February.
Why are you writing Die Happy Today?
The title came to me on a flight from Winnipeg to Halifax in December 2007. I would have preferred an extra Diet Coke or cookies but the flight on WestJet left me with the question: If the plane crashed, would I die happy today?
This is not a theoretical question as I was a private pilot, took a plane from an incipient spin into a full spin, fell from about 4,000 feet, waited for my life to pass before my eyes – it didn’t happen – and I ended up with about 100 feet to spare from literally going six feet under. I often suppress this especially when I fly but at 53 it is time to unleash the learning.
I want this site to be useful to you – not to make you afraid of flying -and I also want it to function as a daily reminder…
If this was my last day would I die happy?
If the answer is yes, we are on track and doing well.
If the answer is no than we better figure out what we need to do.
By the way, happiness to me is not being some goofy looking yellow smiley face, it is a lot more complex than that.
We’ll get into that over the next year.
Photo Credit: Goundhog by http://flickr.com/photos/bluestonestudios/2235473238/
David Zinger from Winnipeg Canada is an expert on engagement. He founded the 4500 member Employee Engagement Network. His work is designed to increase engagement for your organization.
He is a management consultant with over 25 years of experience. His education services are enhanced by his 20 year background as a University educator for the University of Manitoba and over 15 years managing an employee assistance program for Seagram Ltd.
David's services mix current research with practical approaches to build authentic relationships and achieve powerful results. To learn more about David, click on "About David" on the link bar near the top of this site.
Contact David Zinger at:
Phone (204) 254-2130.
Email dzinger@shaw.ca
