Tell Them it Was Wonderful

"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?

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

Video of Paul describing the difference between motivation and employee engagement

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

Interesting Articles on Employee Engagement by the US Federal Government

A must read.

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

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