She was just 20 years old when she got pregnant, and upon telling the soon-to-be father, he wanted nothing to do with her. She was terrified and didn’t know what to do. After months of contemplating her next move, she finally decided that the right decision for her was to give the baby up for adoption.
It was the toughest decision she has ever made ... ever!
But she knew that she couldn’t give the child what was needed; she had to do it. After she gave birth, the young woman got to hold the baby, her son, for a few minutes before letting him go. Not a day went by that this woman didn’t think about him, reflect on what he might be doing, or wonder if she made the right choice. She even kept the lone picture she had of him in her top dresser drawer.
After she gave him up, she went back to college, got married, and ended up having three more sons. Her life was fine.
But then one day, a little more than 18 years after she became a mother for the very first time, she got a letter in the mail. It was from him, it was from her son. He found her!
The two exchanged letters for a couple months, then decided to talk on the phone. She was so nervous the first time they spoke, with her voice trembling at the very moment she said hello.
How would it go? What would she say? What would he be like? End-less questions consumed her as the conversation took shape. However, after a few minutes on the phone, things became normal and the two were able to open up.
After talking a couple more times, they decided it was finally time to meet. They lived about an hour away from each other and agreed to have lunch at a restaurant on a Saturday afternoon.
After making plans, once again anxiety began to fester inside the woman as she wondered what was to come. She had dreamed about this day since the moment she gave her son up and couldn’t fathom what it would be like to actually see him for the very first time in over 18 years. Every emotion swirled inside of her as she impatiently counted the days until they would finally reunite.
On the Wednesday before they were supposed to get together, they decided to talk on the phone one last time to discuss the final details about the meeting. After confirming plans, they were just about to wrap up when a final question popped into the young man’s head. “How will I recognize you?” he asked his mother.
As tears filled the woman’s eyes and emotions swirled inside of her, she contemplated how to answer such a profound question with grace and an unrelenting excitement.
After a brief pause she simply replied, “I’ll be the woman smiling.”
Not Just Another Employee
Every time this woman tells her story the audience is captivated by her words. Regardless of whether it is a colleague working in the next cubicle over, new friends that have yet to learn everything about her, or a group of high school students she is addressing as a guest speaker, people are always fascinated. And every time this woman tells her story, no one ever looks at her the same. Instead, there is a deeper appreciation for who she is as a person, a stronger connection between her and her listeners, and a greater willingness to go the extra mile for her, if she should ever need it.
Every person has a story, yet so many times in life we compartmentalize people, viewing colleagues, team members, and individuals as inanimate objects that are merely a means to an end, rather than appreciating them as a whole. This may not seem like a big issue, with the need to get to know others on a more personal level failing to have importance. However, by treating people as valued colleagues, they are more willing to surpass traditional expectations and put forth extra effort to deliver results. It is engagement that enables people to maintain awareness that they are not merely meeting an obligation involving a colleague, classmate, or individual, rather they are focused on supporting a person with whom they have a personal connection.
Build Relationships and Strengthen Community
Encouraging people to build relationships is the embodiment of LEAPS. Strong relationships are the lifeblood of organizations and empower people to pursue greatness, knowing that others are there to support them. When employees come together and build relationships, increased interest to pursue excellence is born due to an inherent desire to support one another. This unleashes talent and improves collective performance, as the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts.
This is often lost on organizations these days. Margins are slimmer, companies leaner, and the continued objective of cutting costs to get an edge on the competition seemingly never ends. As such, the notion of employees spending time on “nonessential activities” like building relationships with colleagues is one of the first areas to be dismissed. There simply isn’t enough time to do these types of activities. Instead, it is deemed important to stay busy. Unfortunately, staying busy does not necessarily mean being productive.
While it is clear employees must fulfill their responsibilities for a business to succeed, relentlessly pushing forward to increase workflow is not always the answer to the question, “How can we improve our financial position?” Though increasing operational activities beyond traditional workloads could be beneficial for the short term, in the end, burn out or a lack of care for the job will typically resonate from within. This is because there is no internal incentive for employees to support the colleagues they work alongside or company that signs their paycheck. They are merely working to earn a living.
Alternatively, encouraging staff to connect bolsters engagement and promotes the opportunity for individuals to discover ways to make the company thrive. By fostering the opportunity for employees to build relationships with others, a vested interest in the success of the company becomes present due to employees seeing colleagues as more than just individuals they work alongside; they are regarded as trusted allies with whom they have a personal connection. Further, decades of research show that having a best friend at work can turn a moderately engaged worker into a highly engaged employee; this ultimately increases the bottom line.1
Share Information and Include People
Thinking back to elementary school, we all had a time when a classmate passed a note to another student or leaned over to whisper a secret into a friend’s ear. Regardless of the message, we craved to know what was written or said, who it was about, and if it involved us in any way.
The same types of experiences take place in our world today, only in a different environment and with different means of communication. Yet we still have the same interest, we want to be included regardless of the circumstances.
Regrettably, sharing information goes against traditional thinking for organizations, especially when information being discussed does not pertain to the responsibilities that employees have. Why does a factory worker need to know about the financial stability of the company? What benefit would the business gain if a sales person learned about the depreciation of company assets? What value is the company acquiring by sharing its green initiatives with a shift supervisor?
These are all valid questions, but could be countered by asking, what does it hurt?
People like being in the know and appreciate when they are aware of all that is going on, regardless of whether the information has a direct impact on them or not. Sharing information levels the playing field and increases transparency, which inevitably builds rapport, boosts mutual respect, and encourages engagement with everyone involved.
This is evident from a recent survey conducted by Social Chorus. In the survey, 86 percent of employees expressed that they would be more engaged if they felt informed and 94 percent of employees wanted to hear more about the business from leadership. Further, though 68 percent of executives believed they did a “good” job communicating, only 21 percent of employees agreed.2
While information is inevitably disseminated throughout organizations, more robust sharing has the potential to further strengthen employees’ passion for their job and help them feel connected to their work. Though it is critical to keep trademark secrets under close hold and strategic plans discreet, consistently sharing information provides a level of trust that strengthens employees’ willingness to commit.
Additionally, by being proactive and sharing information on a consistent basis, companies build social capital with their employees. This trust reduces members’ willingness to believe unconfirmed gossip and inclination to second-guess the motives of the organization, knowing the company has been open and honest previously.
Sharing information and including people also opens up a source of pride amongst employees and provides the opportunity to collectively embrace victories, both big and small. Who wouldn’t want to know their company manufactured over 10 million widgets last year? Set a record high for sales? Or found a way to eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals during production? This information, though not necessarily highly regarded, can inspire people to have increased satisfaction in their work and more pride in the company. By creating a participative environment in which information is shared and transparency is present, people take more ownership for the achievements of the business; this increases their desire to succeed.
Provide Meaningful Work and Show People How They Add Value
In truth, virtually every organization would be able to survive if merely one employee suddenly departed. Even when the great Steve Jobs suddenly passed away, the companies he founded and led were able to recover. While there was a considerable hole left by this man, ultimately the ability to pull through was present.
In the grand scheme, organizations are built to withstand team members moving on. However, the activities performed by employees every day are critical to company success. Unfortunately, far too often employees lack awareness of how their actions positively impact the organization, and how if they did not fulfill their responsibilities, the company would be worse off.
While in some cases the correlation between employees fulfilling their roles and company success is clear, other jobs lack the same transparency. It is in these positions that employees have the greatest possibility of becoming disengaged, and it is in these positions that it is imperative to provide employees meaningful work and show them why their actions are important to the success of the organization. When employees are able to see how their role positively impacts the company, they are able to view their actions in an entirely new light. They have renewed energy, greater interest in delivering excellence, and more focus when fulfilling their responsibilities.
This is even stronger when the opportunity to tie in an employee’s core values is present. An employee’s desire to achieve due to an internal passion transforms the way they work. Instead of merely trying to meet expectations based on job requirements, they are devoting time and energy into activities that have personal meaning. This further lessens the idea that the tasks they must execute are burdensome; instead, they are seen as opportunities that involve something they have a vested interest in.
Unleash the Power from Within
In every organization, there are leaders who possess formal power because of their position. These leaders are entrusted with great authority, and provide strategic and operational direction for a company. While some believe power and influence can only be generated from people in formal leadership positions, many who have experienced engagement know this is not the case. While employees in formal leadership positions have been officially recognized as authority, there is another group of employees that plays an equally important leadership role, informal leaders.
Informal leaders are not leaders based on official authority and do not necessarily possess a high-ranking position. However, they have the capacity to improve performance, strengthen team development, and most importantly, engage fellow colleagues. This is accomplished through their actions. Informal leaders build strong relationships with coworkers, energize colleagues they work alongside, and get the absolute best out of those around them. Employees gravitate toward these people and are interested in delivering an inspired performance whenever they are near.3
As one thinks about his or her company, certain individuals that possess these traits undoubtedly come to mind. They aren’t necessarily the directors or managers, rather could fill any position in the company. Regardless, they are the employees who mentor fellow coworkers, teammates that provide encouraging words to associates, and problem solvers who are willing to stay late to help colleagues finish a project. These actions, along with countless others, are examples of employees taking an active role in informal leadership, and through this, fostering engagement.
While there are only a handful of formal leadership positions in companies, there is no limit to the number of informal leaders that can work at an organization. As such, by empowering every employee to be an informal leader, genuine leadership that has people less focused on rank and more dedicated to delivering results will emerge. This unleashes the power from within, as employees appreciate the opportunity to take ownership of tasks that do not necessarily align with their responsibilities, yet can deliver value to the company.
Bringing It All Together
When people are treated as though they are Not Just Another Employee, the opportunity to build strong teams, encourage growth, and increase productivity is present. The increased engagement provides awareness that fulfilling responsibilities is not an obligation, rather a privilege. As such, by incorporating the following positive strategies, people will identify with their organization more closely, which will ultimately deepen engagement and ensure they fulfill their roles to the best of their ability.
Encourage employees to build relationships. Building relationships and developing connections is a human experience we all enjoy. Yet for some reason, the idea of building strong affiliations while at the office is disconcerting for fear of being admonished, judged, or criticized. Because of this, people do not open up, choosing instead to remain in their comfort zone. This limits the prospect of building rapport with others. Encourage employees to build relationships on a more personal level. This will provide the opportunity to discover commonalities, uncover hidden strengths, and develop more resilient teams.
Share information and include people. People appreciate being in the know. Whether it involves important information that will change the way a business operates or a small staffing shift that is unrelated to the majority of employees, everyone values being provided information. Further, being open to sharing information displays a level of respect within the company, which increases willingness to trust.
Show people how they fit into the big picture. People enjoy seeing how their actions play a part in the organization. It enables them to have a keen sense of awareness of what their purpose is and how they bring value to the company. Provide employees with meaningful work and share how their actions add value. This will encourage deeper commitment and a renewed desire to achieve.
Unleash the power from within. Empowering employees to be informal leaders actively engages. While formal leadership comes from status or position, informal leadership can emerge from anywhere in an organization. As such, provide the opportunity for employees at every level and department to take ownership of their job, actively pursue improving the company, and serve as informal leaders.