iTune – Impact
Here we are, at the last of the four ‘iTune’ blogs on how to tune in and engage your staff. We have moved through the process of
Involvement – get the right people in your organisation in the right roles. People of humility, hungry for the best for those that you serve and emotionally intelligent.
Identity – they know that they are known and valued.
Influence – they know who they serve and the difference it makes.
This week, we come to our fourth way of engaging your team – Impact. When people know what success looks like in their role and how to measure it, this can act as fuel to keep them going.
So, how do we help people know what success looks like?
Clear purpose
Simple metrics
Clear purpose
People buy into a ‘why’, they don’t buy into a ‘what’. So, it is important for people to know the purpose at organisation level and in their role. In Everyday Leader, our purpose is to empower people. To help inspire them to lead confidently and equip them with practical ideas, steps and principles in digestible ways. When Chloe joined us last year as Office Manager and PA, I spent time explaining the purpose of the company. I then helped her understand the purpose of her role which was to ‘enable’. Her organisation and efficiency in booking in coaching and training clients ensured that they were all prepared for the sessions and nothing hindered being there to be ‘inspired, equipped and empowered’. We talked about the difference it made to me too, enabling me to focus on delivering to clients and in working on generating business. When you work with your team, get clear on a simple purpose for the organisation and bring some simple clarity of purpose to their role. A simple sentence that might help this is
The organisation's purpose is XXXXX. When you YYYYY, you fuel this purpose by ZZZZZ.
Everyday Leader’s for Chloe would be:
Everyday Leader’s purpose is to inspire, equip and empower people to lead well. When you book in clients, liaise with them, you fuel this purpose by enabling clients to engage and enable me to do the coaching/training and getting in new work.
Consider this for each role you have and help them know they are an important cog.
Key questions for you to consider:
What is our organisation purpose?
What is each role’s purpose that fuels the organisation purpose?
Simple Metrics
Most of you will know that feedback data can come in quantitative (easily measured eg numbers) and qualitative (measuring by its quality) data. Helping staff understand simple data using both mechanisms is important. Our world has become somewhat infatuated by quantitative numerical data. We have to be really careful with this, especially when engaging employees. Using data to help guide you is valuable but what is not helpful is using it to beat individuals and organisations with it. Quantitative data should be one tool that tells us how we are doing, but equally important is the qualitative feedback. What are people saying? What are we seeing? What is the impact on people’s lives?
Help employees help them understand how their role can be measured in simple terms.
When we get a new booking from a recommendation, it is because you ensured all the booking was smooth that helped create a good impression because it enabled them.
When someone comes back to us for more work, it is because the service you gave them was professional and it enabled them.
When we get positive feedback from coaching or training, it is because we all did our role well.
Each returning customer is because you made them feel valued in your interaction.
Each new customer is because your initial response was professional and gave the right impression of us.
Sharing feedback with staff is important, as is letting them know how they play a part in it. Having this as part of a regular review, helping remind staff what to look out for.
Key questions for you to consider:
What is the simple metric for each role?
Pick one or two quantitative things and signpost what qualitative feedback to look out for.
There are many things that will disengage staff. Engaging them comes down to three simple truths.
Involvement. Get the right people on the team in the right roles.
Identity. Let them know that they are valued
Influence & Impact. Let them know the difference that they make.
When we focus on that, we will have a happy and engaged team and an organisation. Why should we do that? Well firstly it’s a bit of a moral imperative. Secondly, we will have a team aligned and focused on the purpose of the organisation. That is when we get real shift and energy.
Postscript – A Special Mention
After 11 months with us, Chloe is heading off to a new role as an HR consultant. She has been organised and efficient and friendly and those booking with us, I am sure will say how lovely she has been to engage with. I am going to miss her on the team, but we are delighted for her as she takes on a role that she has been training for alongside her role here at Everyday Leader. We see it as a badge of honour when we help inspire staff to find their next role. Chloe will always be an ‘Everyday Leader’, it will just now be in a new venue! All the best Chloe.
Can we help you?
Would you like to tune in your staff and get greater engagement? We can help you in a range of ways. Maybe, you would like us to help you assess with fresh eyes what you have but what is missing? Maybe you would like some coaching to help discover purpose? Everyday Leader is here to empower, inspire and equip you to do that If we can help you find a way forward, through coaching, training or consultancy. Do let us know if we can be of help to you. colin@everydayleader.co.uk
