The Goal of This Post
This post is a synthesis from the book The Truth about Employee Engagement, by Patrick Lencioni.
The book focuses on the virtues that empower an individual to feel engaged and valuable in their workplace; driving motivation, dedication and accountability. I hope you enjoy it!
If You Only Takeway One Thing
“If you can’t measure what you’re doing, if you don’t think it matters to anyone, if you feel like no one is interested in who you are, you’re going to be miserable at work.” – Patrick Lencioni
Outline
Some of the key ideas we’ll explore in this post:
- The Three Root Causes
- Addressing the Causes of Job Misery
- The Impact of Engagement
1. The Three Root Causes
(1) Anonymity
“People cannot be fulfilled in their work if they are not known. All human beings need to be understood and appreciated for their unique qualities by someone in a position of authority.”
(2) Irrelevance
“Everyone needs to know that their job matters, to someone. Anyone. Without seeing a connection between the work and the satisfaction of another person or group of people, an employee simply will not find lasting fulfillment.”
(3) Immeasurement
“Employees need to be able to gauge their progress and level of contribution for themselves. They cannot be fulfilled in their work if their success depends on the opinions or whims of another person, no matter how benevolent that person may be.”
2. Addressing the Causes of Job Misery
Solving for Identity
- “Get to know them. Take time to sit down with each of them and ask them what’s going on in their lives.”
- “Take a genuine interest. Understand why that person gets out of bed in the morning.”
- “Identify how you can contribute to them becoming a better person.”
Solving for Relevance
- “Human beings need to be needed, and they need to be reminded of this pretty much every day.”
- “Help them answer: Who am I Helping?”
- “Help them answer: How am I Helping?”
Solving for Measurement
- “The key to establishing effective measures lies in identifying those areas that an employee can directly influence.”
- “Then ensuring that the specific measurements are connected to the person or people they are meant to serve.”
- “People want measurables so that they can get an intrinsic sense of accomplishment.”
- “Measure the right things. If you measure the wrong things, people still lose interest.”
3. The Impact of Engagement
(1) Increased Productivity
- “Employees who find fulfillment in their jobs are going to work with more enthusiasm, passion, and attention to quality than their counterparts who do not, mostly because they develop a sense of ownership and pride in what they are doing.”
(2) Greater Retention
- “Engaged employees tend to attract other good employees to an organization, either by actively recruiting them or merely by telling friends about their enthusiasm for their work.”
(3) Sustained Cultural Difference
- “Employees themselves begin to take a greater interest in their colleagues, help them find meaning and relevance in their work, and find better ways to gauge their own success, and they do all of this without specific direction from their bosses.”
In Summary
“By helping people find engagement in their work, and helping them succeed in whatever they’re doing, a manager can have a profound impact on the emotional, financial, physical and spiritual health of workers and their families. They can also create an environment where employees do the same for their peers, giving them a sort of ministry of their own.”
All content credit goes to the author. I’ve shared the bits I’ve enjoyed the most and found most useful.
Cheers ’till next time! Saludos!
Alberto
Beto's Blog 