Culture to Engage

Engaged in Engagement

Managers see their people get the job done. Managers direct their units or teams to fulfill their responsibilities. When managers do their jobs, teams fulfill their assignments. When teams fulfill their assignments, the organization achieves its purpose.

That makes the manager's role seem simple. It ain't necessarily so.

Consider this statement from Agha Hasan Abedi:

The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work.

I agree completely with Abedi's statement. However, I offer it with these qualifications:

1. I found the quote as lead-in to the article Making the Best Managers by Nancy Thomas and Scott Saslow of The Institute of Executive Development. Credit to my sources.
2. Abedi, as founder of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, was "accused of perpetrating the largest financial fraud in history." So, the man had doubtful ethics...but good sense about the manager's true role.

I offer my co-premises:

The manager engaged in providing opportunities and situations that generate development also generates engagement among employees.

The employee engaged in his work, his company's purpose, and the connection between the two, develops and improves his skills, knowledge and abilities.

More and more management skills are required by today's complexities. Yet, the specific engagement attributes too often escape attention. These attributes allow managers to

• Increase engagement among their people,
• Stimulate continuous development by those people,
• Exercise management skills with greater ease and confidence,
• Lead teams to fulfill expectations,
• Contribute to achievement of company goals and objectives.

A manager engaged in promoting development among her people typically exhibits some or all of these interests:

• People Interest: curiosity, listening, empathy
• Company Interest: commitment, "ownership," innovation
• Growth Interest: leadership, performance improvement, personal/professional development.

And it is accurate to say the employee whom such a leader engages demonstrates those same interests.

I/O/W, engagement breeds engagement.

Learning's Role in a Culture of Engagement

November issue of Chief Learning Officer includes Dianne Durkin's How Loyalty and Employee Engagement Add Up to Corporate Profits. For the entire article click the title. For its heart and soul, the gist of Durkin's article follows.

Her words are in italics. After some points I've placed links to earlier posts in this blog, Culture to Engage. I'm including the links to give you added information about building a culture of engagement and so building customer and employee loyalty.

• Put your purpose out there. This means establishing organizational purpose and values and communicating them clearly with employees. Please see What'd You Expect (10/28)

• Clearly articulate your company's values. The more an individual feels on the same page in terms of what has meaning, what gives worth, and what propels the organization, the more she is willing to engage her time, energy, and effort in that company. Please see Voicing Values (10/20) and Expressing Value (10/21)

• Establish a culture of trust. Strong agreement. I should have made the time to post just a fraction of the info I have regarding trust and its power (and powerful absence) as a positive factor in an organization's culture of engagement.

• Align and communicate. OK, Durkin and I diverge slightly. Her article stresses communication regarding alignment with company strategy and direction. I stress communication regarding the interpersonal, to build stronger relationships among members of the organization, which I believe is fundamental engagement. Please see What to Say (10/26).

• Listen to employees.There are thousands of ideas sitting in employees' heads, but many companies suppress them, which brings down employee morale. Once morale is down.... Well, you know what happens. Listening is more than just hearing. Listening benefits (and so do the employees) when a number of forums that encourage employee expression exist. Please see If I May Make a Suggestion (11/05).

• Engage people in solutions. Durkin's refers to allowing employees to work the suggestions you've listened to them present. There's powerful ownership in this. Please see If I May Make a Suggestion (11/05).

• Learning is the new 401(k). Here's Durkin's point: Employees want to be in continuous growth and learning mode, and learning is a benefit to them, as well as the company. Give them the opportunity to continuously learn, and they will be forever loyal. (I like that I'm not the only one to shamelessly split infinitives.)

• Celebrate successes. Sometimes we place too stringent or too high a definition on "successes." By recognizing, discussing, and appreciating even the minor "feel goods" we can celebrate what makes the organization successful. Please see Engagement and the FGQ (10/31).

• Leadership and management training. The influence of an employee's manager on her engagement is proven. Durkin states, An employee's manager, supervisor or leader is the most important person to him or her. This person is an employee's lifeline to information, recognition, challenges and future vision. Please see Engaging Leadership (11/19) and Whose Job Is It, Anyway? (10/23).

• Create a caring corporate culture. The surest way to let employees know their company (and its culture) cares for them is to communicate the value they bring to the company. Not only when they are hired. Nor upon their 5th, 10th, and 30th anniversaries of service. Please see Expressing Value (10/21).

It must be obvious that I'm in pretty complete agreement with the points Durkin has researched and assembled.

And you?