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Will You Add? - Employee Engagement - Getting to the Heart of the Matter
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was passed on July 2002 and many public companies in the US have been implementing compliance procedures since then.Unlike other business standards, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires a more detailed disclosure in its filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on everything that might affect a company’s business and financial performance.The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that public companies use well established "disclosure controls and procedures" for all intellectual property (IP) assets so this vital information is first presented to the management of that company well before it’s revealed to the SEC. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act also requires these procedures to be evaluated quarterly to ensure that outdated and ineffective procedures are removed and new ones implemented for better efficiency.At the moment the Sarbanes Oxley Act does not actually define the steps a public company shou
Diane didn’t keep her team “in the loop” about the positive feedback they were receiving from the users, or about the problems the organization was experiencing.
Honesty – Responding to questions truthfully, except in those situations in which you are constrained by your organization’s confidentiality requirements.
When asked about the layoffs, Diane didn’t respond truthfully. This is one of the most difficult questions for a manager to answer because he/she may be under an organizational directive to not divulge anything about the layoffs. A guideline to follow is instead to say, “When I have information to share, I will let you know”.
Integrity – Keeping your word by doing what you say you will do.
Diane had said she would stay and help, but she didn’t. She had a reasonable excuse under ordinary circumstances, but these were not ordinary circumstances. As the project manager, she was ultimately responsible for the successful completion of the project. If she had stayed, she might have averted the situation.
Respect is created through treating your employees in the same way you wish to be treated by your manager.
Diane openly disrespected the project manager and the team in the meeting with the Vice President.
The bottom line? Diane had not “gotten
Disappointed consumers often accuse advertisers of making false promises, distorting facts, and even lying. These consumers, are more often than not, mistaken in thinking promises were made or facts were given in the advertisement that lured them into buying a particular product. Expert advertisers do not need to lie or make promises to us, for they know exactly how to make us think we hear promises or facts that are not actually stated.Advertisers know what we want. They also know how to make us want what they are trying to sell. Just as a magician uses props to make the audience believe that something is happening which, in fact, is not happening, advertisers use props to create illusions and direct our thinking about products. Of all the props advertisers use (pictures, music, etc) language is the most misleading. Learning how advertisers use language to create illusions, and why they work, allows us to avoid making poor cho
According to Gallup research, 29% of employees are engaged, 54% are not engaged, and 17% are actively disengaged. Gallup researchers estimate that the lower productivity of actively disengaged workers costs the U.S. economy about $370 billion annually. With employee disengagement so prevalent, could it be that managers don’t understand what “engaging the hearts and minds of our employees” really means?
Rational engagement, another way of saying “engaging the mind”, is the intellectual commitment that people make to their organizations. It’s their understanding of how they can help their organizations succeed. And it’s recognizing what’s in it for them as well as for the organization.
Rational engagement is conditional. The expectations that you define with your employee at the beginning of a new assignment determine its conditions. With each assignment and with each change of direction in the organization, these expectations are renegotiated.
Emotional engagement, on the other hand, is about something more fundamental, and much deeper. It’s about the visceral connections your employees have with your organization. It’s how your employees feel about what you’re asking them to do. They may not tell you what they’re feeling, but it nevertheless has a huge impact on your organization’s success.
Emotional engagement is unconditional. Your employees’ expectations are defined by your relationship with them. Your relationship becomes a lens through which your employees view your organization.
Here’s a story of a manager who believed her employees were highly engaged. What do you think?
Diane was a project manager in an I.T. support group in a large retail organization. She thought of her management style as “tough but fair”. The project lead and the other six members of her project team were just wrapping up a six-month project. They had received acceptance sign-off from the users and were preparing to implement the new software that evening. The users were excited that the project was finally coming to an end and that their system would be ready for them when they came into the office the next day. The project team had spent some late nights reworking the software because of the users’ changing requirements, and the users had expressed their appreciation to Diane about the project team’s efforts, especially the project lead “going way above and beyond”. Diane didn’t pass their feedback along to the team. She thought the team members weren’t working up to their capabilities, and if she gave them the users’ feedback, they would probably slack off more than they already were.
The organization had not been doing as well as expected, and there were rumors of layoffs. The team had heard the rumors and they expressed their concern to Diane. She said she had heard them too, but they should not be worried - no layoffs were being planned. In reality, Diane had known for several months that layoffs were coming.
The I.T. Operations Manager approached Diane at 3:00 pm. He had just learned about the pending implementation. He asked if they had tested the software on the new equipment that had been installed earlier that week and was being moved into production that night. Diane was momentarily speechless – she had not heard about any new equipment, much less tested the software on it. She told the Operations Manager they would test now, and continue with the implementation as planned.
Diane met with her team and explained the situation. She said the Operations Manager had failed to tell her about the new equipment, and that the team would just have to work late until the testing and implementation were complete. The team members grumbled and complained, as Diane had expected, but they agreed. She said, “I’ll stay and help you.”
At 4:30, Diane received a call from her daughter reminding her that this was school parents’ night. Diane had completely forgotten about it. She left the office at 5:00, asking her project lead to let the team know, and asked him to call her cell phone when the system had been implemented.
After she left, the team got together. What really happened? they speculated. Diane didn’t have the best relationship with the Operations Manager. One team member said he thought the Operations Manager had “set her up – there’s no love lost there”. Another said, “Well … she deserves it. Here we are – again. And where is she?” The project lead stepped in and said, “Forget it – let’s get this over with.”
The project team began the test. They encountered many problems. By 11:00 pm, they decided that they couldn’t complete the work that night. They would finish it in the next morning.
When Diane arrived at the office in the morning, she was greeted by the V.P. of I.T., who asked her to join him in his office. Her project lead was already there. He closed the door and demanded to know what had happened. His phone was ringing off the hook! Diane immediately blamed the project lead for not calling her, and she blamed the team for not getting the work done. “They’re simply not reliable,” she said. The V.P. of I.T. shouted, “Get them all in here!” Diane nodded and assembled the team. The V.P. said, “We were going to meet on this later, but I might as well tell you now. You’re all being laid off. We’re going to outsource I.T. Support.” The project team was stunned, all except the project lead who responded, “Since you’ve put your cards on the table, I will, too. I’m leaving. I’ve only stayed on until now to complete the project”. Diane was stunned.
What happened here?
There are two key elements in a relationship that foster emotional engagement: Trust and Respect.
Trust is created in three ways:
Openness – Keeping your employees “in the loop” through sharing as much information as possible about the direction of your organization and the importance of the roles they’re playing in it.
Diane didn’t keep her team “in the loop” about the positive feedback they were receiving from the users, or about the problems the organization was experiencing.
Honesty – Responding to questions truthfully, except in those situations in which you are constrained by your organization’s confidentiality requirements.
When asked about the layoffs, Diane didn’t respond truthfully. This is one of the most difficult questions for a manager to answer because he/she may be under an organizational directive to not divulge anything about the layoffs. A guideline to follow is instead to say, “When I have information to share, I will let you know”.
Integrity – Keeping your word by doing what you say you will do.
Diane had said she would stay and help, but she didn’t. She had a reasonable excuse under ordinary circumstances, but these were not ordinary circumstances. As the project manager, she was ultimately responsible for the successful completion of the project. If she had stayed, she might have averted the situation.
Respect is created through treating your employees in the same way you wish to be treated by your manager.
Diane openly disrespected the project manager and the team in the meeting with the Vice President.
The bottom line? Diane had not “gotten
Adwords keyword research tools are valuable and essential to anyone using Google Adwords to promote their websites. Most people think that such keyword research tools are only capable of pulling out huge keyword lists to be used in their Adwords pay-per-click (PPC) campaign. Little do they know that these tools are also effective in digging out useful information about keywords that could be used for other PPC campaigns and even for search engine optimization. Let’s learn several useful Adwords keyword research tips and why Adwords keyword research tools are so powerful in reaping lists of profitable keywords.One quick keyword research tip before starting a PPC campaign is to build a keyword list of at least 1000 keywords. Keyword research is necessary. Brainstorm and start off with a few keywords, perhaps 5 main keywords associated with the product. You may wish to use several free online Adwords keyword research tools such as:
Emotional engagement is unconditional. Your employees’ expectations are defined by your relationship with them. Your relationship becomes a lens through which your employees view your organization.
Here’s a story of a manager who believed her employees were highly engaged. What do you think?
Diane was a project manager in an I.T. support group in a large retail organization. She thought of her management style as “tough but fair”. The project lead and the other six members of her project team were just wrapping up a six-month project. They had received acceptance sign-off from the users and were preparing to implement the new software that evening. The users were excited that the project was finally coming to an end and that their system would be ready for them when they came into the office the next day. The project team had spent some late nights reworking the software because of the users’ changing requirements, and the users had expressed their appreciation to Diane about the project team’s efforts, especially the project lead “going way above and beyond”. Diane didn’t pass their feedback along to the team. She thought the team members weren’t working up to their capabilities, and if she gave them the users’ feedback, they would probably slack off more than they already were.
The organization had not been doing as well as expected, and there were rumors of layoffs. The team had heard the rumors and they expressed their concern to Diane. She said she had heard them too, but they should not be worried - no layoffs were being planned. In reality, Diane had known for several months that layoffs were coming.
The I.T. Operations Manager approached Diane at 3:00 pm. He had just learned about the pending implementation. He asked if they had tested the software on the new equipment that had been installed earlier that week and was being moved into production that night. Diane was momentarily speechless – she had not heard about any new equipment, much less tested the software on it. She told the Operations Manager they would test now, and continue with the implementation as planned.
Diane met with her team and explained the situation. She said the Operations Manager had failed to tell her about the new equipment, and that the team would just have to work late until the testing and implementation were complete. The team members grumbled and complained, as Diane had expected, but they agreed. She said, “I’ll stay and help you.”
At 4:30, Diane received a call from her daughter reminding her that this was school parents’ night. Diane had completely forgotten about it. She left the office at 5:00, asking her project lead to let the team know, and asked him to call her cell phone when the system had been implemented.
After she left, the team got together. What really happened? they speculated. Diane didn’t have the best relationship with the Operations Manager. One team member said he thought the Operations Manager had “set her up – there’s no love lost there”. Another said, “Well … she deserves it. Here we are – again. And where is she?” The project lead stepped in and said, “Forget it – let’s get this over with.”
The project team began the test. They encountered many problems. By 11:00 pm, they decided that they couldn’t complete the work that night. They would finish it in the next morning.
When Diane arrived at the office in the morning, she was greeted by the V.P. of I.T., who asked her to join him in his office. Her project lead was already there. He closed the door and demanded to know what had happened. His phone was ringing off the hook! Diane immediately blamed the project lead for not calling her, and she blamed the team for not getting the work done. “They’re simply not reliable,” she said. The V.P. of I.T. shouted, “Get them all in here!” Diane nodded and assembled the team. The V.P. said, “We were going to meet on this later, but I might as well tell you now. You’re all being laid off. We’re going to outsource I.T. Support.” The project team was stunned, all except the project lead who responded, “Since you’ve put your cards on the table, I will, too. I’m leaving. I’ve only stayed on until now to complete the project”. Diane was stunned.
What happened here?
There are two key elements in a relationship that foster emotional engagement: Trust and Respect.
Trust is created in three ways:
Openness – Keeping your employees “in the loop” through sharing as much information as possible about the direction of your organization and the importance of the roles they’re playing in it.
Diane didn’t keep her team “in the loop” about the positive feedback they were receiving from the users, or about the problems the organization was experiencing.
Honesty – Responding to questions truthfully, except in those situations in which you are constrained by your organization’s confidentiality requirements.
When asked about the layoffs, Diane didn’t respond truthfully. This is one of the most difficult questions for a manager to answer because he/she may be under an organizational directive to not divulge anything about the layoffs. A guideline to follow is instead to say, “When I have information to share, I will let you know”.
Integrity – Keeping your word by doing what you say you will do.
Diane had said she would stay and help, but she didn’t. She had a reasonable excuse under ordinary circumstances, but these were not ordinary circumstances. As the project manager, she was ultimately responsible for the successful completion of the project. If she had stayed, she might have averted the situation.
Respect is created through treating your employees in the same way you wish to be treated by your manager.
Diane openly disrespected the project manager and the team in the meeting with the Vice President.
The bottom line? Diane had not “gotten
Drawing false conclusions from Return on Investment analysis can be embarrassing and it can be costly.Here’s an example from business in managing risk and calculating Return on Investment ROI:The management of company A wanted to decrease the cost of manufacturing a key product. This was in light of new technologies that had just become available.They have 60% of the available business with this product and their closest competitor, Company B, has 14% of the market.Company C has about 10%.The other 16% is held by several small companies that sell a substitute product of lower cost but inferior performance.Company A calculated the cost of reducing manufacturing cost. They then calculated the return on investment (ROI). The return was less than the 15% required by company management.A Board member with an accounting degree and banking experience said the technology looked “shaky” to him.
The I.T. Operations Manager approached Diane at 3:00 pm. He had just learned about the pending implementation. He asked if they had tested the software on the new equipment that had been installed earlier that week and was being moved into production that night. Diane was momentarily speechless – she had not heard about any new equipment, much less tested the software on it. She told the Operations Manager they would test now, and continue with the implementation as planned.
Diane met with her team and explained the situation. She said the Operations Manager had failed to tell her about the new equipment, and that the team would just have to work late until the testing and implementation were complete. The team members grumbled and complained, as Diane had expected, but they agreed. She said, “I’ll stay and help you.”
At 4:30, Diane received a call from her daughter reminding her that this was school parents’ night. Diane had completely forgotten about it. She left the office at 5:00, asking her project lead to let the team know, and asked him to call her cell phone when the system had been implemented.
After she left, the team got together. What really happened? they speculated. Diane didn’t have the best relationship with the Operations Manager. One team member said he thought the Operations Manager had “set her up – there’s no love lost there”. Another said, “Well … she deserves it. Here we are – again. And where is she?” The project lead stepped in and said, “Forget it – let’s get this over with.”
The project team began the test. They encountered many problems. By 11:00 pm, they decided that they couldn’t complete the work that night. They would finish it in the next morning.
When Diane arrived at the office in the morning, she was greeted by the V.P. of I.T., who asked her to join him in his office. Her project lead was already there. He closed the door and demanded to know what had happened. His phone was ringing off the hook! Diane immediately blamed the project lead for not calling her, and she blamed the team for not getting the work done. “They’re simply not reliable,” she said. The V.P. of I.T. shouted, “Get them all in here!” Diane nodded and assembled the team. The V.P. said, “We were going to meet on this later, but I might as well tell you now. You’re all being laid off. We’re going to outsource I.T. Support.” The project team was stunned, all except the project lead who responded, “Since you’ve put your cards on the table, I will, too. I’m leaving. I’ve only stayed on until now to complete the project”. Diane was stunned.
What happened here?
There are two key elements in a relationship that foster emotional engagement: Trust and Respect.
Trust is created in three ways:
Openness – Keeping your employees “in the loop” through sharing as much information as possible about the direction of your organization and the importance of the roles they’re playing in it.
Diane didn’t keep her team “in the loop” about the positive feedback they were receiving from the users, or about the problems the organization was experiencing.
Honesty – Responding to questions truthfully, except in those situations in which you are constrained by your organization’s confidentiality requirements.
When asked about the layoffs, Diane didn’t respond truthfully. This is one of the most difficult questions for a manager to answer because he/she may be under an organizational directive to not divulge anything about the layoffs. A guideline to follow is instead to say, “When I have information to share, I will let you know”.
Integrity – Keeping your word by doing what you say you will do.
Diane had said she would stay and help, but she didn’t. She had a reasonable excuse under ordinary circumstances, but these were not ordinary circumstances. As the project manager, she was ultimately responsible for the successful completion of the project. If she had stayed, she might have averted the situation.
Respect is created through treating your employees in the same way you wish to be treated by your manager.
Diane openly disrespected the project manager and the team in the meeting with the Vice President.
The bottom line? Diane had not “gotten
One of the clients I work with has only had a website for a couple of years now. When we first set his website up, he was just about to place ads in all the local phone books. Knowing this, the first thing we did was get him a domain, so he could go ahead and put it in the ads. Of course, the site was done in plenty of time for the actual release of the phone books.Over time, this particular client has shifted more and more of his advertising towards his website. He used to put coupons in the phone book ad, and it definitely cost him. Now, for a fraction of the price, he puts his coupons online. And the great part is, he can change them at any time.As I understand it, at least one of the phone books he advertises in charges extra for letting him put the website's address in. Still, it saves him money because he doesn't include the coupons anymore.Not only that, but the website is, of course, much more flexible. Any ad
The project team began the test. They encountered many problems. By 11:00 pm, they decided that they couldn’t complete the work that night. They would finish it in the next morning.
When Diane arrived at the office in the morning, she was greeted by the V.P. of I.T., who asked her to join him in his office. Her project lead was already there. He closed the door and demanded to know what had happened. His phone was ringing off the hook! Diane immediately blamed the project lead for not calling her, and she blamed the team for not getting the work done. “They’re simply not reliable,” she said. The V.P. of I.T. shouted, “Get them all in here!” Diane nodded and assembled the team. The V.P. said, “We were going to meet on this later, but I might as well tell you now. You’re all being laid off. We’re going to outsource I.T. Support.” The project team was stunned, all except the project lead who responded, “Since you’ve put your cards on the table, I will, too. I’m leaving. I’ve only stayed on until now to complete the project”. Diane was stunned.
What happened here?
There are two key elements in a relationship that foster emotional engagement: Trust and Respect.
Trust is created in three ways:
Openness – Keeping your employees “in the loop” through sharing as much information as possible about the direction of your organization and the importance of the roles they’re playing in it.
Diane didn’t keep her team “in the loop” about the positive feedback they were receiving from the users, or about the problems the organization was experiencing.
Honesty – Responding to questions truthfully, except in those situations in which you are constrained by your organization’s confidentiality requirements.
When asked about the layoffs, Diane didn’t respond truthfully. This is one of the most difficult questions for a manager to answer because he/she may be under an organizational directive to not divulge anything about the layoffs. A guideline to follow is instead to say, “When I have information to share, I will let you know”.
Integrity – Keeping your word by doing what you say you will do.
Diane had said she would stay and help, but she didn’t. She had a reasonable excuse under ordinary circumstances, but these were not ordinary circumstances. As the project manager, she was ultimately responsible for the successful completion of the project. If she had stayed, she might have averted the situation.
Respect is created through treating your employees in the same way you wish to be treated by your manager.
Diane openly disrespected the project manager and the team in the meeting with the Vice President.
The bottom line? Diane had not “gotten
In the ever-growing field of internet marketing, it is not uncommon for successful marketers to utilize or have utilized the skills and expertise of an internet marketing mentor. Why do you need a mentor and what could they possibly offer to help you grow your business.First of all, mentors are guides to help cut through the sometimes-murky water of internet marketing. They are there to help you understand not only the intricacies involved in operating your internet marketing business, but to help direct you when you have no idea which direction to take to bring your business to the next level.They can also provide a good 'kick in the pants' when your motivation is failing. So why do you need an internet marketing mentor? Because we all, at some point in time reach a point where we have no further expertise or experience. We also lack the knowledge, time, and/or resources to do an involved study of
Diane didn’t keep her team “in the loop” about the positive feedback they were receiving from the users, or about the problems the organization was experiencing.
Honesty – Responding to questions truthfully, except in those situations in which you are constrained by your organization’s confidentiality requirements.
When asked about the layoffs, Diane didn’t respond truthfully. This is one of the most difficult questions for a manager to answer because he/she may be under an organizational directive to not divulge anything about the layoffs. A guideline to follow is instead to say, “When I have information to share, I will let you know”.
Integrity – Keeping your word by doing what you say you will do.
Diane had said she would stay and help, but she didn’t. She had a reasonable excuse under ordinary circumstances, but these were not ordinary circumstances. As the project manager, she was ultimately responsible for the successful completion of the project. If she had stayed, she might have averted the situation.
Respect is created through treating your employees in the same way you wish to be treated by your manager.
Diane openly disrespected the project manager and the team in the meeting with the Vice President.
The bottom line? Diane had not “gotten to the heart of the matter” with her team. How about you?
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