The why of working.

Here are four stories that influenced my movement into employee engagement:

My father, a railway executive, became cynical and frustrated with his work. It literally drove him to drink and as a child I would listen to his workplace stories of being thwarted and stymied. I was pleased that later in his life he found his way out of this work-related Dante’s Inferno.

Burt, a production technician I worked with hated his job, management, the company and his co-workers. He lived to retire. Nine months after retiring he hated retirement.

Marla the administrative support person in my department felt misery at work that manifested itself as sourness and belligerence. She sucked the energy out of the department and I usually took the back stairs so I would not have to pass by her desk.

The railway gang I worked with did as as little work as possible. The organization and management was perceived as the enemy and most of this gang lived lives of quiet desperation. Our gang was called the perishable gang because we looked after perishable commodities shipped by rail. I believe had I stayed on this gang that I might have been the one to perish from work.

These are four small glimpses at work. It requires no creativity to go beyond these personal stories to identify the negative impact on results, organizations, customers, and families. There is a better way of work and this means engaging fully with our work.

The Why of Engagement: Work is an invitation, accept it. When you get more into your work you will get more out of your work. Good work is a pathway to achieve results, make contributions, build relationships, strengthen organizations, and help others. Good work will make you well.

The How of Engagement: Increasing and enhancing engagement asks us to use small, simple, strong, significant, strategic, and sustainable tools, actions, and practices. We don’t need to do great work or reach for the moon. Rather if we stay grounded in the work in front of us, the injection of a few small steps done daily will be giant steps for our organizations and the people we serve.

The What of Engagement: The Zinger Pyramid of Engagement is a practical and tactical 10-block evidenced based model designed to improve: results, performance, progress, relationships, recognition, moments, strengths, meaning, wellbeing, and energy. I offer keynotes, speeches, classes, workshops, courses, books, writing, consulting, and coaching to help others discover and act upon the 10 building blocks of engagement and good work. Ultimately good work and full engagement involves just a few steps and it is never more than 10 blocks away.

What is your deeper why, how, and what of working and engagement?

David Zinger is global employee engagement speaker from Canada working at getting work working for all of us. If you are ready to work with the building blocks of engagement, to ensure that work is for the benefit of all, contact him today to get things started.