Employee Engagement Zeitgeist: Indicators from Network Marketing and Barak Obama’s Approach

The New Zeitgeist of Engagement and Employee Engagement.

Indications from different directions. Barak Obama’s approach and the principles of the Network Era in marketing have much to teach us about employee engagement.

Two well-written articles. Two articles caught my attention the past week. Michael Zubrow wrote an article on BBC News about Obama engages the world and Scott Davis wrote a blog post on Welcome to the Network Era – Shaping Brands and the Business.

Network Era shifts.  Let’s start with Scott Davis. Here is Scott’s summary of the Network Era shift:

The Network Era marks a decided shift for the marketer from control to influence. From communications to engagement and participation. From closed to open, transparent and authentic. And it’s not just customer relationships these dynamics apply to. It’s employees and peers outside of marketing. …Managing the network opportunity for your business is no longer optional. The challenge to those who aspire to become Visionary Marketers is to understand and embrace those dynamics and make them work for the business in driving growth. Other benefits will follow, from greater and stronger brand loyalty, to an enriched, invested pool to draw upon to spur innovation, to powerful internal alliances to keep the momentum going.

Key lessons. In relationship to employee engagement here are some of the key principles I derived from Scott’s blog:

• Fully make the shift from control to influence.
• Shift from communications to engagement and participation.
• Move away from closed to open, transparent, and authentic
• Managing for engagement is no longer optional.
• We must embrace the new engagement dynamics.

I encourage you to read Scott Davis’ full post by clicking here.

Obama’s Engagement Methods. Michael Zubrow wrote about Obama’s recent trip overseas and his shift from the Bush administration’s leadership-centric diplomacy to engaging directly with the poeple of the world. Here are a few snippes from Zubrow’s article:

Public diplomacy. Barack Obama’s weapon of choice is public diplomacy, speaking plainly and persuasively, directly to the people. While President George W Bush was well known for relying on close relationships with heads of state, President Obama’s rhetoric is aimed at the ruling elite and the common citizen alike.

In Prague he referred to the strength of the people of a different generation, exclaiming: “That’s why I’m speaking to you in the centre of a Europe that is peaceful, united and free – because ordinary people believed that divisions could be bridged, even when their leaders did not

In Accra, Mr Obama called for institutions that are transparent and reliable, noting that good governance is “about more than holding elections – it’s also about what happens between them

But President Obama has made one thing overwhelmingly clear – America’s participation in solving the most challenging issues of our day is not optional. These problems threaten the peace and stability of the world and we simply cannot pass them off to the next generation. The future President Obama describes is one where America leads through example, not intervention. His approach emphasises the emergence and importance of local organisations and institutions contributing to solving global problems.

Key lessons. In relationship to employee engagement here are some of the key principles I derived from Michael Zubrow’s article:

• Leaders must engage directly with employees.
• We must lead through example not by intervention.
• Leaders must share values, hopes, and dreams with employees.
• Leaders must help employees rally to take on the most challenging issues of the organization.
• Have faith in employees to create change that makes sense.
• Make use of new technologies and tools to communicate with employees.
• We must all pay attention to the times between strategies, results, and implementation – employee engagement is a process.

I encourage you to read Michael Zubrow’s full article by clicking here.

Don’t be left behind. From Marketing and the Network Era to the approach and connection of Barak Obama the world is changing to a model of engagement. Are you ensuring that you are engaging fully in an authentic, powerful, connected, and real approaches to employee engagement? The world is rapidly changing — are you changing with it?

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David Zinger is a leading expert on employee engagement. He is committed to creating authentic and sustained employee engagement for the benefit of all. Contact David at (204) 254-2130 or Email dzinger@shaw.ca.