Increase Productivity by Making Your People “Fall in Love With Your Organization”
Leading an organization towards success can not be achieved without “buy in” and devoted work by your key personnel. Whether you are leading a small business or a major corporation, it has become imperative for leadership from the management team that “engages” your employees and creates an ideal work environment so your personnel will fall in love with your organization and its goals and objectives.
The following list has been compiled by interviews with Executives and Human Resource Managers from many West Coast companies. These “best practices” for engaging employee loyalty can be adopted and have been proven to increase productivity and to reduce conscious or unconscious sabotage by personnel. With challenges from transitions and the pace of doing business in the Information Age, it has become essential to know, and then apply, these principles for all executives and successful managers. These techniques have also been proven to enhance employee retention and to make organizations more attractive when hiring.
Consider adopting one or more of the following suggestions to make your workplace more attractive and to better help your workforce “Fall in Love” with your organization. Most of these suggestions can be offered inexpensively or at no cost. Remember that a key to your success is to treat your employees like you treat your most valuable clients. (It is cheaper to keep your good employees than it is to hire and train new ones. Your top 20-25% (key personnel) should be courted as you would court and then service your top customers.)
1. Employee input with key decisions-part of process from start
2. Growth Opportunities- training, mentoring, developing- Room to Grow… Job Rotations (keep jobs more interesting and expand your people’s skills and experience)
3. Get the “Right” people in the right job by benchmarking the qualities necessary to succeed in a specific job. Know these Key Personnel well and understand their true motivations which are not always money, and then give these key people what they really want as rewards for their work and loyalty. (Assessments are available for this process of benchmarking and job analysis. Costly hiring mistakes are expensive and avoidable.)
4. Regular Communication meetings with management… transparency (clear vision) Leaders sell the vision so personnel know their role… Create “Buy-in”
5. Follow through with vision/purpose (consistent and with integrity)
6. Work/Life Flexibility- Flextime, teleworking, 4/10’s
7. Good Management Team promoting good relations. Managers spend 10 minutes each week with each person supervised (helps to connect,) learn employees job function and come help when necessary.
8. Meaningful Rewards/Recognition – Feedback, public praise, $ bonus’, “thank you Bucks”, peer recognition, press releases
9. Enjoyable Work Environment- Fun!
10. Trust Managers, peers, etc…
11. Community Involvement Projects suggested by work force and commitment to these projects with support. “Global” perspective for the “greater good”.
12. Best Benefit Package affordable (can be $$$ but worthy of consideration)
Though these principles are fairly simple in concept they may require some work to adapt them to your work place or even to get them to be embraced by your leadership/management team. Coaching and training are available to you if you would like assistance in tailoring these suggestions for your specific requirements.
| L. John Mason, Ph.D. is the author of the best selling “Guide to Stress Reduction.” Since 1977, he has offered Success & Executive Coaching and Training.Please visit the Stress Education Center. If you would like information or a targeted proposal for training or coaching, please contact us at (360) 593-3833. www.dstress.com
If you are looking to enhance your leadership skills, please investigate the Executive Coaching Program for the support you may require to become the very best executive or manager. |