Yesterday I had a meeting with Ahmad Adnan, my Financial Advisor. First time I'd visited the new office building. Lisa Byrne, member of the staff, met me in the reception area to lead me to Ahmad's office.
She asked if I'd seen the showcase. I'd not noticed it. Lisa told me the display features a local charitable effort and rotates monthly. "The showcase this month is Jewels of Hope."
Then she told me Jewels of Hope is a non-profit organization assisting orphans from
child-headed households due to the HIV and AIDS pandemic
presently ravaging Southern Africa. "You will want to check the beautiful jewelry after you meet with Ahmad. We're very proud to support Jewels of Hope...and other organizations with such commitment."
Lisa then directed my attention to the 10 photographs artistically displayed along the wall to my right. "This is our 'wall of art.' Here we rotate displays of art, usually from our clients or our associates. We appreciate that it depicts creative talent in our community." The photographs were breathtaking.
Suddenly I realized that all my attention to employee engagement sort of overlooks the idea of business engagement. And here I had two great examples of how a business might demonstrate its engagement. It got me thinking.
Business engagement may focus on
- Customers
- Community
- Employees
- Industry
- And?
Business engagement may signify
- Support of social values (philanthropic causes)
- Focus of business culture (attitudes and values)
- Concern for community issues (social well-being)
- Belief in employees' importance (respect and recognition)
- Pride in company achievements (commitment and quality)
- And?
Lisa's 5 minutes escorting me to Ahmad reinforced the importance of communication to engagement. Lisa's informative mention of her company's commitments to charity and creativity brought their business engagement front and center for me. I'm betting Lisa communicates that with every client she escorts to a meeting.
On my way out I took time to notice the jewelry display was remarkably beautiful.
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