The Change Dude’s Blog

Unfreezing Your Most Important Asset

Snow is falling everywhere!  News footage of folks across the country chronicles the myriad of ways motorists try to unstick their vehicles from snow banks, slush wells and icy parking spots.  These scenes are reminiscent of my teen years in New England having every helpful device possible stashed in the trunk of my ‘65 Buick Special to thwart the embarrassing  stuck car.  Every type of unsticking aid possible lived in the massive trunk from the pedestrian bucket of sand to the often used under-tire blanket.  Prior to the advent of cell phones getting stranded meant hiking to the nearest phone booth to call for help.  Ha! Never!  Well, maybe once or twice.

Most executives pack away similar embarrassment relief kits to allow for the rapid extraction of their company from management slush wells.  Over the past couple of years we’ve seen these kits pulled out and used to varying results.  In some cases the cost reduction tools were wielded like corporate neutron bombs emptying building after building of employees while leaving the furniture and office space standing and survivors stunned.  Other devices  like hiring freezes, pay freezes, training freezes, travel freezes, (man, it’s getting cold in here) were used to get the company moving again.  In every case the result has been a dramatic loss of confidence in leadership by associates.  With lots of cold stares.

An ever growing trend in the marketplace is a resurgence in employee engagement initiatives.  Leadership teams have seen the devastation left in the wake of the “big freeze” and are making real efforts to regain the confidence of their most important asset, the workforce.  Customer confidence and employee confidence go hand-in-glove.  Corporate leaders understand the relationship.  Contemporary tools can now put numbers around the relationship with both the frequency and precision required to take action.

Regaining confidence demands clear, visible action.

Leading Practices to Unfreeze Engagement: 

1. Collect and analyze employee engagement. TODAY! Not last years results.  Real time, where are we now results. Getting unstuck begins with understanding where the grit is in the gears. 
2. Act immediately on the findings.  Fox’s Under Cover Boss reality show illustrates the power of real-time action.  The senior leaders that have just experienced real time feedback act on that feedback immediately.  No multi-week deep dive into the data while mold grows on the issues.  Show your leadership and take quick, decisive action.
3. Celebrate the value of your assets.  Studies repeatedly validate that engagement isn’t about the compensation, it’s about the emotional boost we get when we are recognized.  Celebrate your people.  They will pay it forward to their customers.
4. Repeat the process predictably.  Once is never enough.  Unleash the power of the organization through regular pulse checks.  Employee engagement data collected annually is as useless as a jet ski in a sand dune.  Monthly or quarterly pulse checks of a sampled employee population offers the best possible opportunity to thaw the organization.  CFOs review financials monthly. Your assets drive financial result.  Stay as close to employee feedback as financial feedback.

There’s no more satisfying feeling than watching your vehicle gain traction on the pavement after spinning your wheels in an ice rut.

What have you done recently to unfreeze employee engagement? bcaruso@endeavormgmt.com

January 29, 2011 - Posted by thechangedude | Uncategorized