I have two things this week. I recently sat for an interview with Sheri Hill, a RE/MAX Realtor in the Millersville, MD area. She hosts a local blog called parkbench Annapolis where people can find information about local events and companies. Please checkout her blog, and be sure to check out the results of her interview with me!

On Friday’s I go to a networking lunch. The reason I go isn’t because of the food, although it’s not bad, but I go because the group resonates with me. Every week, we have an opportunity to talk about ourselves and there is a thought provoking discussion that follows. From this discussion, we typically get some nugget of advice we can take with us to help our business. However something else happens. Often times people hang around for a while after, and socialize. This is when the real magic of the event happens. We talk to each other. Not so much about what we do, but as friends. We build relationships; relationships that go beyond what we do. People attend this meeting because the conversation is engaging, and it brings meaning to their Friday lunch hour. This week I am going to talk about employee engagement and how it can help your career and your business! I’ll also offer a challenge that will improve your results!

Employee Engagement

Many companies these days focus on “employee engagement”. At one company I worked with, engagement was talked about, used as leverage against management in performance reviews, and used as a punch line during after-work happy hours.

Organizations like Gallup were paid to come in and administer a survey to be used as a metric for measuring the level of engagement of the employees. Based on the results of the Gallup survey, we would be required to create action plans with our teams. The idea was to work on something that will get your team engaged and working towards a common goal. Most of the time, teams would pick something easy to do, something they knew they could accomplish without too much interference with their “real jobs.” As you might imagine, this didn’t really get teams engaged and had very little impact on actual engagement.

In these cases, I found that “focusing” on engagement often had the opposite result from the intended effect, and many times company leadership completely missed the point. The word “engagement” lost it’s true meaning and become a chore. When that happened, people found excuses for not following through. They’d blame some outside circumstance for their lack of employee engagement.

Why is Engagement Important?
There is a lot of research that explains why employee engagement is important to the performance of a company. Engaged employees tend to have less absenteeism, lower turnover, and higher productivity. This translates to higher profit margins for the company. I understand this because at times I’ve been not very engaged with my work, and when this happens I tend to procrastinate, and I am not nearly as efficient as I could be. In these instances, it will take me longer to complete a task than if I were really interested in completing the task. Let’s just say that when I was inefficient, I wasted one hour a week in low productivity. Now if we extrapolate that to fifty employees, a hundred employees, or even a thousand, those hours can really add up each week. It’s no wonder why companies find engagement important.

Engaging Employees is NOT a Chore!
Improving morale or engagement is something basic and really does not need specific action plans or surveys to accomplish. It does not have to be a chore! Cultivating and creating an inspired workforce is something that leaders should be doing every day. Some simple best practices leaders can do on a daily basis include listening to your team members, and genuinely being interested in them. Listen to your team and find ways to resolve problems. Actively show team members that their opinions and concerns are valid and are worth taking action to resolve. Provide help, and show respect and loyalty to your colleagues and the company. Helping someone who is struggling shows you genuinely care, and they are more likely to help you when you need help.

The Problem with Surveys and Action Plans
In the opening example above, we see that surveys and action plans aren’t actually the key to employee engagement and increased enjoyment and productivity at work. These are additional tasks, to be completed and checked off a list. It is only by listening and using empathy, from a position of genuine intent, that we can bring about increased engagement and all the rewards of it. There are no real shortcuts here, and no room for insincerity. In order to show that you care… you have to care.

The Challenge
Find a cause that will get your team excited and inspired. Shoot for an over the top productivity goal, sales goal, or profit. Challenge your team to break through their comfort zone and really find success!

Do you need help finding an inspiring cause?

Click the link below and Let’s Continue the Conversation!

Shaffer Ingenuity can help you find what really drives you and provide you the tools to achieve those goals!

Continue the Conversation!

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Upcoming Events

I am excited to announce that have finalized our next live event “Mastering the Mental Game!” This is going to be entertaining and life changing! You won’t want to miss it.

Click button below to sign up now!
Space is limited!

▪ When: Saturday November 11th COMING UP!
▪ Time 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
▪ Open discussion to follow
▪ Where: Charles I. Ecker Business Training Center
6751 Columbia Gateway Dr.

Columbia, MD 21046

You can now follow me on Twitter! Follow me @AJShaffer27

Do you have a corporate training event, know of any group that may benefit from learning about the true secret to goal setting and achieving? Please contact me about talking to your group or corporate event!

I’m ready to Master The Mental Game!

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Now Available

My book Maximizing the Human Potential is available on Amazon. Make sure to pick up your copy!

Get my copy of Maximizing The Human Potential!

Quote of the Week

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.”

-Jack Canfield

Learn More

I am always looking for opportunities to share some inspiration with others. If your company or club is looking for a guest speaker for a meeting, workshop or other event, I welcome the referral.

To learn more about any of our services from speaking engagements to personal and professional development training please visit my website.

To learn about the Thinking Into Results program for corporate leadership and peak performance or personal transformation, please contact me or visit my TIR website.

Kind regards,
Andrew Shaffer,
Shaffer Ingenuity