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FROM THE MANAGEMENT LAB
Eight tried and tested tips to improve staff engagement in your business
Times are uncertain. Inflation is at a 40-year high and heading towards 13%. The Bank of England forecasts a UK recession to last at least a year. The cost of living crisis is being hyped up as the big news story now that the media have tired of COVID. All of this will be affecting the mental wellbeing of your staff.
We suggest focusing on staff engagement. After all, happy staff are more productive. And you’re more likely to retain your A-Players. If we’re heading into a period of contraction, you need everyone to pull together to help weather the storm. This isn’t going to happen if you’re on an unhappy ship.
Last week I said something in my blog that may be controversial. When times are tough, you’ll find it easier if you get your staff back to the office. This isn’t about command and control. It’s about culture and behaviour. You need to reduce anxiety and make it easier for communication to flow more readily. It’s much better if you’re face-to-face.
With this in mind, what can you do to improve staff engagement?
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THE MELTING POT PODCAST
How to Do Hard Things in a Human Way with Rasmus Hougaard
If you struggle to have difficult conversations then you aren’t alone. According to Rasmus Hougaard, founder and CEO of global research, leadership development and consulting firm, Potential Project, only one in 100 of us are naturally wired to be able to give difficult feedback the right way, instinctively.
In this episode, Rasmus shares why he learned the art of mindfulness in Buddhist monasteries not just as a way of driving employee wellness, but actually driving leadership behaviours. He also explains why, if we care deeply about people, it’s on us to be direct and to give them the feedback they need to grow to be the best version of themselves that they can be.
To find out more about the four behaviours Rasmus and the team uncovered, to create more trust, psychological safety, and improve performance in your individual employees, your teams, and the culture, download and listen to this episode.
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The Daily Evolver
Tired of the same old left /right arguments? Want to throw your shoe at the shouting heads on cable news? Then join Jeff for a look at current events and culture from an integral perspective. Each week he explores emerging trends in politics, economics, science and spirituality, all with an eye toward spotting the evolution and up-flow of human consciousness and culture. Listen now
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How to Evaluate the Impact of Corporate Purpose
Companies must develop the capacity to accurately assess whether they are making progress toward social and environmental goals. Read now
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Closing the agile achievement gap
Despite the wide adoption of the agile method across industries and functions, most companies are barely scratching the surface of its vast potential. Business leaders can change the game by paying careful attention to seven mission-critical factors. Read now
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How to help your employees own your strategy
If there’s one thing many of the leaders I’ve spoken with lately have in common, it’s that they feel pressured to roll out new strategies more quickly, with more impact. These leaders recognize the importance of communication — of getting the message out to employees about where the organization is headed and why. To do so, they often default to the “cascade” approach: holding high-energy town hall meetings, posting on internal social media, writing executive blog posts on intranet pages, hosting lunch-and-learn sessions. Read now
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The Outward Mindset by The Arbinger Institute
Your mindset governs how you view the world, what you do, and how you do it. Many of us operate from an inward mindset, a single-minded focus on our own goals and objectives. This mindset is blind to what others need and so is prone to creating tension and conflict. But incredible things happen when individuals and organizations switch to the outward mindset. They intuitively understand what those around them - coworkers, colleagues, family, friends - need to be successful and happy. And, astonishingly, people who switch to this mindset become happier and more successful themselves! It brings about deep and far-reaching changes. Read now
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Remote, Not Distant by Gustavo Razzetti
Hybrid and remote work is here to stay. What will it take for your company to succeed in the new normal? While most companies have struggled to keep their culture alive remotely since the pandemic, some are successfully riding the waves of the future. To the outside observer, it seems like they were lucky. In reality, building a workplace culture strong enough to thrive at a distance doesn't happen by chance, but by design. In this practical, meticulously researched book, top culture thought leader Gustavo Razzetti provides a roadmap to understand, adapt to, and succeed in a hybrid workplace. Razzetti has spent years investigating the leading edges of this revolution, including Amazon, Slack, GitLab, Volvo, and Microsoft, to name just a few. The lessons are simple yet stunning. Read now
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MEANINGFUL ACTION FOR MONDAY
Ask your staff who needs to apply for flexible working
Recently, one of our clients returned to work in the office. On the first day back, they told their team that from a given date, they would be required to work back in the office three days a week: Monday, Tuesday and another day of their choice.
They also asked them to fill in a form if they needed to apply for flexible work. They found that the ability to apply for this meant that those challenged by going back to the office full time would fill in the form. Although there were suggestions that some people would resign because of this, everybody got back to the office and had a great time. There were no resignations. So, ask your staff to apply for flexible working and set a date to be back in the office. Most of the time you'll have no drama.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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Webinar: Leading for Happiness – 4 PM (BST)
Managing a team isn’t easy, but all the evidence shows that if you can build a happy team then everything goes better. Happy teams are more collaborative, creative and productive. They are also much less stressful to manage.
But how do you build happy successful teams?
Nic Marks, renowned statistician and happiness expert, will explore the evidence as well as offer insights, tips and guidance for leaders of teams big and small.
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“Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.”
Stephen R. Covey |
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Dominic Monkhouse
Dominic offers business coaching and management development, strategy planning and organisational change, using tried and tested methods to launch your organisation onto an unparalleled growth trajectory. His programme is a function of his broad experience, his deep expertise and a proven process used by over 2,700 firms worldwide.
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