Are you engaged?

Where are you now?

A mother and a baby camel were lazing around, and suddenly the baby camel asked....

Baby: Mother, mother, may I ask you some questions?

Mother: Sure! Why not, is there something bothering you?

Baby: Why do camels have humps?

Mother: Well son, we are desert animals, we need the humps to store water and we are known to survive without water for many days.

Baby: Okay, then why are our legs long and our feet rounded?

Mother: Son, obviously they are meant for walking in the desert, you know with these legs I can move around the desert better than anyone does! Mother said proudly.

Baby: Okay, then why are our eyelashes long? Sometimes it bothers my sight.

Mother: My son, those long thick eyelashes are your protective cover. They help to protect your eyes from the desert sand and wind. Said mother camel with eyes brimming with pride....

Baby: I see. So the hump is to store water when we are in the desert, the legs are for walking through the desert and these eye lashes protect my eyes from the desert...... Then what the hell are we doing here in the Zzzoooooo!!!!!!???

I translate a few of the distinct adaptability of camel from the story to management perspective as:

Hump: Resourcefulness

Long legs: Ability to take Team along towards vision

Rounded feet: Stability in uncertainty, establishing a balance between accountability & empathy

Long eyelashes: Keeping vision clear without getting contaminated

(Many more relations can be brought out….)

Question comes back, when privileged with these attributes and many more……what prevents some managers to enable& engage employees!

Where are they now?The issue perhaps may not be manager’s ignorance, as Bruce Lee shared:

Knowing is not enough, we must apply….Willingness is not enough, we must do!

Let us look at few of the challenges of Employee Engagement :( Courtesy -Sybil F. Stershic)

• Overwhelmed with daily work pressures, managers admit they overlook the basics of connecting-the-dots by not reinforcing where employees fit within the organization’s scope and what’s expected of them.
• Too many initiatives and directives, political in-fighting, and ineffective communications contribute to a lack of strategic focus that results in a culture of frustrated and disengaged employees.
• Organizational silos continue to impede employee collaboration and cohesiveness.

Having said that –

Employee engagement should not be seen as a goal in and of itself. It should instead be treated as a vehicle to help fulfill the corporate vision and achieve business success.

Enablement is:Empowering the employees to become more competent by enhancing knowledge & skills through training & development, coaching & mentoring, guidance & support to make smart decisions.  This yields motivation & creates exceptional service experiences.

Employee engagement is a workplace approach which induces conducive environment for all employees to offer as per & beyond potential each day. Employees remain committed to their organization’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organizational success, with an enhanced sense of their own well-being.

So, what’s employee engagement for employees?

• Employee engagement is getting up in the morning thinking, “Great, I’m going to work. I know what I’m going to do today. I’ve got some great ideas about how to do it really well. I’m looking forward to seeing the team and helping them work well today”.
• Engagement is about understanding one’s role in an organization, and being sighted and energized on where it fits in the organization’s purpose and objectives.
• Engagement is about having a clear understanding of how an organization is fulfilling its purpose and objectives, how it is changing to fulfil those better, and being given a voice in its journey to offer ideas and express views that are taken account of as decisions are made.
• Engagement is about being included fully as a member of the team, focused on clear goals, trusted and empowered, receiving regular and constructive feedback, supported in developing new skills, thanked and recognized for achievement.
• Engaged organizations have strong and authentic values, with clear evidence of trust and fairness based on mutual respect, where two-way promises and commitments – between managers and employees – are understood and fulfilled.

Shining light on three powerful questions to do dipstick employee engagement…

• Is your team member satisfied with his/ her work?
• Call to Action : Manager to focus on Guiding & Coaching – Value Creation
• Does he/she takes pride in representing your Team?
• Call to Action: Providing opportunities for professional development.
• Does he/she believes that his/her contribution is valued?
• Call to Action:
• Acknowledge their contribution – helps them realize their own potential.
• Instant recognition – Reward Coupons, URJA – may not be on revenue ….but surely on exhibited expected behaviors.

Key Take Away:

Managers must combine –

Engagement - the use of motivational tools & Enablement - the act of providing employees with effective resources to reach optimal levels of employee satisfaction and productivity.

Engagement + Enablement = Effectiveness & Retention ∝Enhanced Productivity

Engagement and enablement are both important determinants of employee performance.  Organizations are unlikely to sustain one without the other

 (* manager is also an employee)

Warm Regards,
Anand Sagar - PCC
International Coach Federation
Coaching is the Universal Language of Change & Learning!!!