Whiteboard, LLC

Partnering for High Performance

2009-11-29T14:06:00.000-08:00

The concept of partnering transcends teamwork and implies a degree of autonomy, discretion, equality, openness, power and ownership which blurs traditional management-employee boundaries. Partners are not simply loyal team members; they are co-stewards of the organization’s Mission and Vision, and readily accept responsibility for its vitality. Building collaborative working relationships with employees creates the ultimately engaged employee, i.e., the employee who treats the business as though he owns it. In addition to partnerships among team members and their supervisor, such relations can develop among departments who readily share their resources and create synergies. The real power of an organization exists in fostering partnerships among employees at all levels.

5 ways to foster partnering in your organization:

1. Share current and projected financial information with your employees, allow them to see the big picture of the organization.
2. Show a good example by sharing information and/or resources with other departments or groups within your organization.
3. Actively involve your employees in hiring decisions.
4. Seek timely feedback from your internal and external clients about yourself, your group and your staff.
5. Most importantly, give your employees the necessary authority and decision making responsibility. Allow them to have ownership of their work.

Consideration

2009-11-12T15:20:00.001-08:00

I know it has been a few weeks since I last posted something to my blog. I have been spending all of my days and time writing in preparation of the first manuscript delivery due date-which is now! I am still writing and feel very much like I am in the final 7 miles of a marathon. Speaking of the marathon, some of you may be curious to know that I completed my very first marathon (Marine Corp Marathon) last month. It was an exhilarating experience as I ran with 30,000 runners some of which were marines dressed in full gear.

I just finished a chapter in my book on the importance of consideration in the workplace. Consideration refers to giving careful thought to a person or idea. People demonstrate consideration toward others through their words, decisions and actions, and differ considerably in their ability and desire to be considerate. Consideration requires empathy and an understanding that others’ have feelings, needs and beliefs separate from one’s own. Empathy is perhaps the most critical innate skill for a leader to possess, and nearly impossible to teach. Moreover, individuals unskilled in empathy are also those most likely to dismiss it as an unimportant leadership competency.
Time and again in our research, people shared examples of considerate acts by supervisors and helped us to understand the impact of these behaviors on their feeling of being respected, engaged and loyal. The most frequent response involved a personal or family health issue where the supervisor responded by offering a flexible work schedule.

If you are wondering how considerate you are to your employees, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do my employees share with me when they are having a personal issue or problem?
2. Do I notice when employees are not "themselves" and let them know that I am concerned about them?
3. When an employee comes in sick, do I encourage them to go home and take care of themselves?

There are many ways for a boss or manager to show consideration to an employee. Taking the time to get to know your employees on a personal level and listening to them when they have a problem or issue are just a few ways you can show them consideration. Showing consideration does not take much time and it typically doesn't cost much, but it could cost you a lot if you choose not to be considerate.

Employee Engagement Takes Commitment

2009-10-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

I started running over a year ago, the first mile was difficult to say the least. It was hard for me to breathe, my face turned all red and it seemed like my legs were made of lead as I could barely lift them off the road. I wanted to give up right away but I kept going because I had a goal in mind. I had signed myself up to run a marathon.

That was over a year ago, and now the marathon is just weeks away. I am running in the Marine Corp. Marathon on October 25Th. A year ago I could barely run a mile, but now I have many miles of running under my belt. A few weeks ago I ran 22 miles to feel what that would be like, it was incredible. At mile 20 I wanted to give up completely, my knee was hurting and my entire body seemed to be shutting down. I kept running, then all of a sudden the adrenaline kicked in about a mile down the road, my knee didn't hurt anymore and I felt as though I could have kept going...

As I reflect upon my journey training for the marathon, I believe you can make a correlation between marathon training and making the commitment to increase employee engagement in your organization. With employee engagement, just like training for the marathon you have to do the following:

1. Make the commitment
2. Understand your starting point, "what shape is your organization today?"
3. Create the plan and stick to it
4. Get support when you need it
5. Don't give up!

In the end, what I learned from marathon training was that the journey, the training, and everything leading up to the actual day was just as important as the marathon itself. Each day was progress, and each day was significant and memorable. So, whether you are thinking about training for a marathon or increasing the level of engagement in your organization keep in mind that making the commitment is the most important step and that each day is an opportunity.

Tell Them it Was Wonderful

2009-09-29T04:57:00.000-07:00

"Tell Them it Was Wonderful," is a collection of short stories written by my grandfather, Ludwig Bemelmans and compiled by my grandmother Mimi, otherwise known as Madeleine for she was the inspiration of the well known and beloved character Madeline. Although my grandfather was most widely known for writing and illustrating Madeline, what you may not know is that he has authored several books, designed countless New Yorker covers, and written many articles. To say he was prolific would be an understatement, his life was a journey and he was a master story teller. The legacy of storytelling in my family has passed itself down like a gift you would give a small child on their birthday or Christmas. In my family we listen to these stories to remember the ones we loved, to understand a little bit of history, to relive a piece of our heritage, or to share the importance of a lesson learned. The stories evoke all types of images and emotions; sometimes the stories are funny and we laugh until our sides hurt, and sometimes they are sad and we feel pain in our hearts. In my family the stories are long and many, but most of all they are memorable.
Story telling is an art that is not only important in families but is often just as important in the workplace for many reasons. As I sit each day to write the chapters of my first book, “Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work,” I find myself uncovering my own style of storytelling as each word in my stories bring to life the concepts and learning that I have mastered over the past 20 years. To take years of data, conflicting research of text book terms and boil it down into a story that readers can both enjoy and remember, now that is engagement! Storytelling is an important part of engaging your employees because it helps the listener to relate to what you are saying quickly. Some other benefits of storytelling are that you will be able to communicate
• Quickly
• Naturally
• Clearly
• Persuasively
• Truthfully
• Entertainingly
Leaders, CEO’s, and supervisors who use storytelling as one communication method are able to connect with their people in a way that others do not. They touch, move and inspire their people with their words, and because they are able to do so they create organizations that are ahead of the curve and the employees want to keep it that way.

So you think tube socks will motivate your employees?

2009-09-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K86aEWWn3F0

Not surprising survey reveals a 9% drop in employee engagement and 25% drop for top performers!

2009-09-23T03:25:00.001-07:00

This study by Watson Wyatt Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: WW)reveals some not so surprising, but perhaps difficult to swallow statistics:

~ employee engagement levels for all workers at the companies surveyed have dropped 9 percent since last year, and close to 25 percent for top performers.

~ top-performing employees are 26 percent less likely to be satisfied with advancement opportunities at their company. They are also 14 percent less likely to want to remain with their company versus take a job elsewhere.

~ top-performing employees are 29 percent less confident in management's ability to grow the business. And 41 percent believe that pay and benefit changes made by their employer in the past year have had a negative effect on work quality and customer service.
Read more...

Survey: Economic downturn leads to decline in employee commitment - Denver Business Journal:

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New Families and Work Institute Study Reveals Declines in the Health of American Workforce

2009-09-23T02:52:00.000-07:00

Another reason for leadership to consider "employee engagement." A study performed by the Family and Work Institute revealed interesting findings on the current health of our workforce, plus some interesting findings report the positive impact of days off and vacation policy to higher levels of employee satisfaction. Not surprisingly, the health of our workforce is showing signs of decline with only 28% of people stating they are in excellent health versus 34% just six years ago, men being affected the most. However, those organizations fostering a culture of employee engagement are showing higher levels of physical health. Yet another reason for leaders to pause and consider where their thought leadership is on engaging their workforce. Is it no wonder that organizations like Comcast are creating positions just for the sole purpose of creating and maintaining high levels of employee engagement? (Comcast recently announced their new Senior Vice President of Employee Engagement-Ron Phillips.) If you would like to read more about the FWI study click on the link below.

New Families and Work Institute Study Reveals Declines in the Health of American Workforce

Is your employee productivity suffering due to the economy?

2009-09-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6n31vbWtFA

Watch this video to learn why traditional reward and recognition programs don't work!

2009-09-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.greenbirdieproductions.com/Dr._Marciano.html

Video of Paul describing the difference between motivation and employee engagement

2009-09-06T15:51:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J6nM9pzKmM

Interesting Articles on Employee Engagement by the US Federal Government

2009-09-03T05:25:00.001-07:00

A must read.

http://tinyurl.com/m4nf2p The Power of Federal Engagement

http://tinyurl.com/nf2zan Managing for Engagement

Check out this weekly poll!

2009-08-11T11:38:00.000-07:00

I am amazed at how many people have so much to say about "bad bosses." Not surprisingly showing favoritism and listening to brown nosers shows up time and time again on the user generated commentary. What do you think makes a bad boss?

http://humanresources.about.com/b/2006/04/23/weekly-poll-what-makes-a-manager-a-bad-boss.htm#comment-25553

Midyear Trust Findings: Good News for both Business and Government... Employee Attitudes Primary Bellwether

2009-08-10T04:54:00.001-07:00

Midyear Trust Findings: Good News for both Business and Government... Employee Attitudes Primary Bellwether

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HHS Moving Beyond Employee Satisfaction to Employee Engagement

2009-08-06T20:21:00.001-07:00

HHS Moving Beyond Employee Satisfaction to Employee Engagement

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A presentation on RESPECT

2009-07-31T06:02:00.000-07:00

Employee Engagement vs. Motivation

2009-06-10T22:18:00.000-07:00

The word “engage” comes from Old French (en + gage) meaning to pledge, as in, to pledge oneself to marriage. Thus, employee engagement refers to an ongoing pledge and commitment to one’s job responsibilities, team members, supervisor and company. Degree of engagement is reflected in an employee’s behaviors, specifically, those that advance the company’s Mission, Vision, values and objectives. Engagement is similar to, but not synonymous with, motivation. Engagement refers to an intrinsic, deep-rooted and sweeping sense of commitment, pride and loyalty that is not easily altered. In contrast, one’s level of motivation is strongly influenced by external factors, especially expectations that certain efforts or accomplishments will yield valued rewards, e.g., a financial bonus for meeting a quarterly sales objective. One’s motivation waxes and wanes depending on environmental demands and opportunities.

Critically, a high level of engagement buffers the impact of untoward environmental factors on motivation. In other words, highly engaged employees will remain motivated despite adverse circumstances, e.g., limited resources, equipment failures, time pressures, etc. In contrast, employees with low levels of engagement will tend to appear motivated only under favorable environmental conditions and/or when attempting to reach tangible, short-term goals that will yield personal reward. In fact, employees may appear highly motivated one minute and de-motivated the next. For example, imagine a team on pace to meet their weekly production goals and earn a bonus when suddenly a major equipment failure nearly ensures their inability to meet that goal. The employees who work as hard, or harder, post the incident are engaged. Those who walk around bemoaning the loss of their bonus were motivated by the situational opportunity. Engaged employees are hardy; disengaged employees are opportunistic. How do companies foster engagement and enduring commitment in their workforce?

Stay tuned...