You want the truth? “You can’t handle the truth!”
This well-known line was uttered by Jack Nicholson in the move, A Few Good Men.
How often do we operate under the premise that no news is good news. This move has some application to our businesses. Let's we don't want to ask questions because the answers might be uncomfortable.
If we have retention problems, for example, it is easier to focus on business or commission splits and so forth. But, according to Gallup around 30% of employees are engaged at work. That means that 70% are not engaged.
Recently Gallup released a new survey on employee engagement. When I read the commentary I could see that engagement is not static information but depends on organization, teams, and time. We can’t use a cookie cutter approach. We can’t make universal supposition of what engages people. Instead, we need to understand the diversity of our workforce which includes gender, culture and the different generations. Engagement factors have changed.
Or with regard to customers it is easier to think all is well because there are not a growing number of customer complaints or because we feel we are getting referral.
What does your staff and your agents really think? What do you customers really think?
A good way to have a great organization of any type is to find out what your team is saying and your customers are saying. Depending on size the way you do that is up to you. But you should do it.
What action would you take if your team members were to give a negative answer to the statement, “At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?” Do you know how to do that? Meaningful work means different things to the different generations in the workplace. Consider not only generational differences but also cultural differences. Get to know your team and what is important to them. A baby boomer’s wants and needs are different from Generation X and a Millennial's is different from the other two generations. For more information on generations read a previous blog. The engagement solution does not involve pushing a round peg fit into a square hole but rather to match each employee to a position where he or she can be the best.
Is your organization suffering from a retention challenge? This can be costly especially when you consider recruiting and training, lost customer service, lost productivity, and lost morale. An engaged team member becomes more valuable as he or she grows. In addition, high-performing sales teams have loyal customers because they have loyal team members.
If you are the broker or owner you need to have an engagement strategy. If nothing else this matters to your customers and your brand. The strategy should include careful selectio, not just taking anyone, and a development plan to leverage each team member's strengths resulting in the best outcome for the team member and the organization. Read a similar blog on our website titled ORGANIZATIONS THAT DON'T ASK HOW THEY ARE DOING MIGHT BE AFRAID OF THE TRUTH.
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