Let’s pick up from Part One on Rob’s story as he determines what to do next.
Just as I was reaching this hopeless state and wondering what to do next, I received an email from Lead Engage Agency with the tag line, “Creating Great Teams that Generate Amazing Results”. The tagline peaked my interest and made me click on the link. In their materials they talked about Engaging and Equipping Leaders to Build and Grow Organizations through engagement of employees.
I certainly felt like we were not working well as a team, much less generating amazing results, and so I decided to call Ray at Lead Engage Agency. In that call and subsequent interactions Ray asked a lot of questions that gave me clarity around the number one challenge and opportunity in my business. He explained the “Playbook Process” they use to guide the creation of great teams that generate amazing results. We agreed on a proposal and I signed up to have Lead Engage Agency work with us.
They started by working together with us in completing a total top to bottom assessment of our organization, spending a lot of time talking to everyone from the janitor to our leadership team. They did this through one on one discussions, as well as, in small group settings. Jan, one of our hourly employees told me, “After talking to Ray I was really impressed that you were willing to spend money with Lead Engage Agency. They did not come in like most consultants just looking to understand how to reduce cost. They were interested in my thoughts about the company and my job, asking me what was good, what needed to be improved, and what I would do if I were in charge. They were interested in my thoughts about how we were working together as a team and what team meant to me. During the conversation they asked me what was important to me and my family. I was impressed that it was not just about the business but also about me and what was important to me. I was pleasantly surprised at how much time Ray spent on the floor walking around informally and talking to a lot of people to try to understand our business.” As I (Rob) thought about this conversation and others like it, I realized I have not been spending enough time asking my employees what they think, as well as, listening very carefully to the answers. I began to understand what Lead Engage Agency was trying to say when they talk about me being a better Leader Coach and how that would help to create a stronger team.
Their assessment went way beyond just talking to our employees, they also spent time reviewing and digging into our financials, sales and marketing plans, talked to customers, and looked at economic and business challenges. From this they developed a comprehensive report that summarized the results, highlighted areas of concern, and made action item recommendations to improve our results. When I signed up with Lead Engage Agency I wondered if the depth of assessment was really necessary. After seeing how they did this and reviewing the report I realized this was a very critical part of the “Playbook Process”.
