ValuExecBlog

Engaging Your Employees

Here's an interesting stat ~ in a survey of 200 senior and middle managers carried out by the Hay Group, 40% of senior managers claimed that their middle managers represented the single biggest barrier to achieving company objectives.

Now, take that stat and add it to the research conducted by Gallup and highlighted by Tom Rath in his book 'Strengths Finder 2.0' (Gallup Press; 2007) which found that:

1. If your manager primarily ignored you - the chances of your being actively disengaged are 40%
2. If your manager primarily focuses on your weaknesses - the chances of your being actively disengaged are 22%, and
3. If your manager primarily focuses on your strengths - the chances of your being actively disengaged are 1%
   

Therefore, assuming the research is correct, if your employees are to execute strategy, then they need to be engaged in the company and in the business and if focusing on their strengths keeps them so engaged, then it is worthwhile getting to understand the strengths of those reporting to you as well as your own strengths.

Toastmasters has a rule that when evaluating a speech - the evaluator must find 2 points to praise and one point for improvement, in other words 2 strengths for every weakness.  I think that we tend to err the other way, that is 2 points of improvement for every strength.

Perhaps by focusing on strengths and keeping employees engaged at all levels, middle managers will no longer be the biggest barriers to the company executing its strategy and achieving its objectives.

Pick one strength of an employee today and let them know.

Until next time..

ian

  

Stat Quote of the Day

Today's Stat Quote of the Day comes from Harvard Business Publishing which will, on September 22, 2008 launch The Daily Stat that for 5 days a week will bring you 'facts and figures offering a quick, sometimes quirky perspective on our world and the business that happens in it.'

Ahh! all I can say is great minds think alike. Seriously though, having read some of the initial Daily Stats it is certainly worth subscribing to and it is free. 

ian 

Stat Quote of the Day

Some stats on e-mail:

• 75% of workers prefer to email colleagues rather than speak to them face to face
• 78% use email because they don't want to get out of their seat

• 80% blame email for their poor health and fitness
  
  
  Source: Research conducted by Law Employment Firm Peninsula Ireland, which surveyed more than 760 Irish Employees (as quoted in Financial Review Boss Magazine; September 2008; Volume 9)

Stat Quote of the Day

The Stat Quote today looks at that wonderful thing called 'Trust.'

Research shows:

> Only 51% of employees have trust and confidence in senior management
> Only 36% of employees believe their leaders act with honesty and integrity
> Over the past 12 months, 76% of employees have observed illegal or unethical conduct on the job - conduct which, if exposed, would seriously violate the public trust.
 

Source: "The Speed of Trust: The one thing that changes everything." Covey S.M.R; Free Press; (2006)

Daily Stat Quote

Not exactly a statistic but a comment that I thought worth sharing:

'What you do not know is more relevant than what you know.'

Source: CustomerCentric Selling / Sales Benchmark Index; Best Practices of World Class Sales Organizations 

ian

Ode to the Statistic

Have you noticed how easily people throw stats at us. You can not pick up a newspaper or read a business article without being confronted by at least one statistic that will take your breath away. I should know since I use them myself. Business consultants use them alot. Politicians probably use them the most. So I have decided to bring you daily - one statistical quote that I have come across that day on the understanding that a statistical quote taken out of context is pretty well meaningless. However, also on the understanding that a statistic thrown out at a dinner party can be a wonderful ice-breaker. Feel free to post your statistic as well.

So here is the first stat of the day:

"Research shows that more than 60% of organizations currently lack an integrated strategy perspective, with functional units such as human resources, information technology, and finance not linked to business unit and corporate strategy."

(Source: SHRM/Balanced Scorecard Collaborative, Aligning HR with Organization Strategy Survey Research Study 62-17052 (Alexandria, VA: Society for Human Resource Management, 2002); The Alignment Gap, " CIO Insight, 1 July 2002; as quoted by Kaplan R.S & Norton D.P in their book: The Execution Premium: Linking Strategy to Operations for Competitive Advantage; Harvard Business Press;2008)

ian