GETTING RESULTS
In our experience as business owners, sales leaders and executives we know what every business wants when it comes to results – higher revenue, higher income, and greater overall growth. Countless studies have been conducted, business books written, and speeches given on how to achieve these goals, and often times they advise contradictory methods to accomplish these objectives. Yet one method for results has stood above the rest, with rigorous scientific study after study conducted on businesses around the globe. According to the research, the number one way to move your company from ordinary to extraordinary is by increasing the level of leadership and employee engagement throughout the organization.
WHAT IS ENGAGEMENT?
Engaged employees’ love what they do and it shows. They beam with pride when asked about their work and enjoy talking about the company they work for. In fact, they are just as invested in the overall vision and direction of the company as the leadership team – making them amazing brand ambassadors. In a building full of engaged employees, the energy creates a buzz in the air. The employees look forward to coming to work, staying and growing with the company, and contributing to the company’s success.
WHAT CREATES ENGAGEMENT?
Engagement starts at the top – meaning that an engaged company is lead by a team that passionately believes in the vision and mission of the organization while simultaneously creating a great place to work. Phenomenal workplaces result from giving meaning and purpose to every action done by every employee, and communicating the results of each action effectively as it relates to the shared goals and values of the company. Offering better perks, pay, or benefits cannot replace the feeling an employee gets by finding purpose in the way they spend their time day after day.
This means that leading an engaged, high performing organization requires leaders to be aware, authentic, and fully open to communication. This seemingly simple description fits the definition of “easier said than done.” It takes true commitment to the business, the team, and the vision to create an engaged team – and that level of personal involvement cannot be taught in a standard business course.
You may be saying to yourself,” I do these things, yet my people are still not performing.” Or,” I don’t know how to do it effectively.” That’s where we come in! We have been developing leaders and helping them transform their organization from average to exceptional for years. It’s not easy, and it requires real change and hard work. And it is those elite leaders who are willing to show up differently to get a different result that make the leap from maintaining the status quo to radically enhanced results.
THE NEXT GENERATION
Nearly every workplace today finds itself dealing with a multi-generational gap, and most executives and entrepreneurs have experienced struggles working with the next generation of leaders. We are constantly hearing about a lack of commitment and motivation, a need to be coddled and constantly given positive feedback to get any results, and that the next generation simply can’t be worked with or understood. Having experienced those challenges first hand we understand the frustration, yet we promise you that this generation can be worked with, can be understood, and will become an integral part of your overall success when you engage them.
The reality is that the up and coming generation IS different. They have been exposed to a life from a very early age that is completely different than the life many maturing leaders grew up around. They have incredible strengths and weaknesses – just as every generation does.
The key to working with younger generations is having a leadership group that knows how to harness the strengths of the up and coming rather than focusing on how different they are.
As a general rule, younger generations, and this group in particular, require authentic, flexible, passionate leadership with a company that has a mission, cares about people and the world around them, embraces technology, and adopts a general policy of working smarter not harder. With the millennial generation moving into the workforce, it is more important than ever to connect with the members of the team. In 2016, Millennials became the largest generation in the United States becoming influential in the workplace and marketplace. The Millennial generation is tech savvy, entrepreneurial, educated and independent-minded. They are actively reshaping the workforce on a scale that has never before been experienced. To increase the effectiveness of this next generation of changemakers in the workplace and to influence them, we must challenge ourselves to rethink how we engage, communicate and collaborate with them. Millennials expect brands, service providers and the corporate world to stand for more than the bottom line. They must feel like the company genuinely cares about them and not just the role they are filling. Given what they want, they will quickly develop an affinity and brand loyalty for the company. This generation is entirely connected to the world through their technology and because of this they make the most effective brand ambassadors. Harnessing their power by actively creating a workplace that provides a sense of purpose and drive will be the most effective marketing and management tool you can use to attract customers and top hiring prospects.
