The Cranky Middle Manager Show #46- Engaging Employees with George Reavis
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #046
Today we talk engaging employees- keeping their heads in the game, their noses to the grindstone, looking like they give what my grandmother would call a horse’s patoot about their customers, their jobs and you as their manager. Oh yeah, and how are YOU doing staying engaged?
We talk to George Reavis- long time listener of this show and brains behind Thankingcustomers.com.
SHOW NOTES
0:00 Welcome to the show. Employee engagement is usually our responsibility if not our fault. How do we do it? We’ll discuss George’s 5-point plan for keeping employees engaged.
1:59 The ultimate example of a leader keeping his people engaged: King Leonidas leading 300 Spartans against 10,000 Persians and holding them off for three days.I can’t get my team to bring decent potato salad to the pot-luck Spring lunch.
3:25 The quote of the week talks about duty- one we sometimes forget is our job too…Just a chance to plug Robert Louis Stevenson- one of my favorite writers.
4:43 Welcome George Reavis. Why is engagement such a big deal? Well, he defines it as “involved with heart and mind”. Yeah, no challenge there.. It starts with engaging front line employees, or associates.
7:25 Take a look around your workplace. Odds are:
- a third of employees are engaged
- about half are neutral, they’re not engaged but they’re getting through
- about 20 percent are actively disengaged
12:18 Engaged customers re-engage employees. There are 3 behaviors engaged people demonstrate:
- intention, which creates commitment
- reflection, am I thinking about what I’m doing which leads to learning
- attention, which leads to focus
19:36 The 5 step process. Line managers are guides, the middle managers are co-ordinators. Take a look at this graphic from his website, which will help explain what we’re talking about.
28:30 Which part of this process do managers do well and which is more of a car wreck? Probably “inviting” and “asking”.
Cool Links
George’s books including “Propel Frontline Leaders”
A Free E-book and course called “5 steps for Group Leaders to Engage Everyone”
AÂ Free Pamphlet called “Building a Cycle of Engagement in Daily Activities”
George’s Squidoo Lens on involving hearts and minds.
That’s it gang, don’t forget to check out the archives by month, check out our frappr map and leave a message via Odeo. Why do you listen? What do you want to hear? Why won’t Tom Peters return my emails? Ah, the questions of life…….
Don’t let the weasels get you down.Â
Â
Â