We rejoin Susan as she explores the answer to this question….
See Part 1 of this series here: https://leadengageagency.com/why-is-employee-engagement-so-important-2/
The research on how employee needs and desires have changed was eye opening, scared the “shitake” out of me, and has really made me think. I went back to Ralph and told him what I found. He smiled and said, we had that “shitake” moment at our company about a year ago and ended up bringing in a company called Lead Engage Agency to help us in navigating this transition. Here is some of what they told us.
They said it starts with leadership change on the inside and had us spend time reflecting on the kind of leaders we were. Asking and honestly answering some difficult questions.
- What kind of leader am I?
- Do I trust my employees and just as importantly do they trust me?
- Do I think my employees are smart enough to make a significant contribution to the business?
- When was the last time I asked my employees what they think and really listened to the answer?
- Do I really know my employees, their dreams, their concerns, and what they are passionate about?
- Do I know what my employees contribute today and areas they could contribute more?
- How much do my employees know about the business? If it was their business, do I know what they would do?
- Am I providing opportunities for employees to contribute more and be able to achieve their dreams?
- Do I let my employees make decisions for themselves or do I feel like I need to set the direction?
- Do I believe if I am not there every day to keep things on track the business will slide backwards?
Ralph said the hardest finding I needed to come to grips with is that I didn’t think my employees were smart enough to be trusted to make decisions on their own. I also didn’t really listen and value their opinions and input. I didn’t believe my business could ever run without me making sure things stayed on track every day. I thought I trusted my employees, but had to admit that I really did not.
Our Lead Engage Coach suggested that we go and meet with the employees in groups and our coach facilitated the meetings. The meetings revolved around asking employees what they thought and getting their input on how we could be better. Before the meeting our coach told me that I could not give an opinion and could only speak to clarify or make sure I understood a comment that was made.
That was a very humbling and eye-opening experience. Humbling, as I realized I did not know our employees very well and had been making many wrong assumptions. Eye-opening, as I began to realize how wrong I had been in my perspective of our employees.
I found out that one of our employees was running a successful small business part time and actually understands business finances as well as I do. She also had strong opinions about what we could do better. Other employees have college degrees in fields where it is difficult to find jobs and they ended up working for us and doing what they loved on the side. One employee has a daughter with special needs causing stress within his family on how to balance work and home. Frustrations surfaced on not really knowing what they needed to focus on, direction they do not understand, equipment that needs repairs, and frustration over not being able to get approval to implement improvements staring them in the face.
I walked away from those meetings with my head swimming and realized that I had been looking at this all wrong. I committed to spending more time with our employees and beginning to change the way we do business. I felt hope as I realized this could be the key to me achieving the balance I was looking for, success for the business, and a lower level of stress.
A year later we still have our Lead Engage Coach working with us and we have made significant progress. But, this kind of change is hard and it is easy to regress to old behavior. I am committed to making this happen and am starting to see the benefits this will bring and how this positions us for success going into the future. We also had one of our best years ever and the changes we are making certainly contributed to that success.
I would suggest, Susan, that you call Lead Engage Agency and take them up on their free consultation offer. It could change your life and put you on a road to long-term success for your company. They can be reached at ray@leadengageagency.com or (586) 747-6803.
