Recently, I watched a team of people agree to start an initiative that they didn’t necessarily believe in. Their boss was so passionate about the topic that the team didn’t have the heart to tell him that his idea was probably too lofty and most likely unattainable. In the weeks that followed, I watched that initiative fall apart. What a waste…or was it?
Photo by Umberto Salvagnin
Employee engagement isn’t something you can easily grab a hold of and manipulate. Its regularly referred to as “one of those touchy feelly things” that frustrates the heck out of Driver type personalities. So, often times it gets ignored completely. The truth is, at it’s core is trust and communication.
Talking to the foreman of a manufacturing facility last week, I noticed that he was particularly frustrated with a specific project he was working on. He seemed to think that the company was actually losing money by selling and working on this particular type of project. After doing some research on my own, it was clear that this was not the case – the company was profiting very well on these projects!
When I approached one of the leaders for this information, he said “those shop guys don’t need to worry about whether or not we make money on those jobs; they just need to work”. To me, that statement was shocking!
I help bosses engage their people and people engage their bosses. Creating a more profitable and fulfilling work environment. Join me...
