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I did a webinar on employee engagement today. In it I offered the following premises:
- People get things done.
- How well people do things varies.
- Excellence is discretionary.
- Excellence is required to help a an organization get through tough times. All hearts and minds on deck.
- Employee engagement is the ONLY fuel you have for producing excellence.
Follow the logic? Because discretionary effort is one expression of engagement and because the difference between so-so and excellence is discretionary effort, engagement is the key to excellence.
Managers and leaders - are you being the kind of leader who inspires engagement (excellence) or are you the kind of leader who fails to catalyze the work environment?
If you are not quite there yet, here is the good news. You have everything you need to enliven engagement. Are you using it?
BTW - I am not saying that all discretionary effort produces excellence - I am saying that excellence cannot occur without discretionary effort.
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Posted by: ken white | April 22, 2009 at 10:10 AM
Those are excellent points, Lisa.
Too often leaders and organisations focus on preventing people from doing 'bad' things, instead of motivating them to do 'good' things. That's a great way to end up with demotivated workers and nothing to show for it.
Posted by: Rob Brooks | April 22, 2009 at 02:39 PM
Rob - I agree. I think engagement is all about bringin out positive energy and intiative.
Posted by: Lisa Haneberg | April 23, 2009 at 07:55 AM
Agreed on all points
Posted by: Mr. Chow | April 26, 2009 at 06:43 PM
Positive energy, initiative, and the NYSE is gaining in value? Oh my gosh, we may be turning the corner...even though the media continues to remind me that the worst is yet to come (financially) and I may die of a pig virus before that day comes.
Excellence can only be measured in how many times you failed before you got it right. If you got it right the first time, don't kid yourself, it's probably not excellent. If it takes you dozens of times to get it "right", you may want to lower the bar on excellence and choose battles you can excel at. If you refined your effort in a series of accomplishments, with a little tarnish, call it excellent and move onto other "stuff".
A book recommendation
Dropping Almonds
Bach Anon
www.droppingalmonds.com
Posted by: Scott | April 30, 2009 at 01:12 PM