(Time to read this Blog is about 4 minutes)

Before we get to the main topic, here are a few things to get you thinking or smiling:

1. My Biz Quote of the week:
   “Many business owners need to feel indispensable…but being indispensable stifles growth and is a lousy exit strategy!”
   …Donald Cooper.
    
2. Quick Biz Tip:
   If you want to know what needs fixing or clarifying in your business, take a vacation.
    
   A business owner friend just returned from a 10-day Caribbean vacation.  Every day, he received several phone calls from his Team about how to handle things that he thought he had clarified and delegated months or years ago.  It was a real eye-opener.
    
   So, a great way to check up on your business or department is to take a vacation and make notes of each call and what it tells you about what needs fixing or clarifying.  The big question is whether this makes the vacation a deductible business expense?  😊
    
3. Fun Fact: A recent study found that golfers’ mortality rates are up to 52% lower than those of the general population.  Researchers also found that the lower your handicap (a.k.a. the better at golf you are), the longer you’re likely to live. 
    
4. World’s best cheese. The Netherlands has taken top honors at this year’s World Cheese Championship with a rich, nutty cow’s milk cheese called Beemster Royaal Grand Cru.               It beat out 3,375 entries from around the world in the three-day competition, held March 3–5 in Madison, Wisconsin.
    
   What can you do to be the best in the world, win awards and become famous?  ‘Famous’ is good.  Somebody has to be best.  Why not you?
    
5. The cost of groceries and housing has grown 50% faster than Canadians’ average hourly pay since 2021, leading to a spike in food insecurity.

Now, to this week’s important topic:

Improving employee engagement…6 things they can be proud of!  

Employee engagement and ‘quiet quitting’ are huge topics these days.  According to a recent Gallup Report, only 31% of employees in the USA and Canada are truly ‘engaged’.  The number in other ‘Western’ countries is likely similar.  Gallup defines ‘engaged’ as ‘being involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace’.

According to this same Report, 52% of employees are disengaged in the workplace, while 17% are ‘actively disengaged’.  Actively disengaged means ‘feeling miserable at work and spreading negativity to their colleagues’.  In extreme cases, it can mean actively sabotaging the Team and the business…and I’ve seen plenty of that in my Biz Coaching work.

A big part of ‘engagement’ is being proud of the business we work for and our role in it. There are 6 things that employees can be proud if:

1. Where we’ve been (our history),
    
2. What we do(our products / services)…and how what we do makes a difference,
    
3. Their personal role in the business and how they make a difference,
    
4. How we’re doing. Good people want to know that the business is successful…and how they can help make it even more successful.
    
5. Where we’re going (our Vision for the future)…and,
    
6. What we ‘stand for’ along the way  (our Values, Ethics

Let’s look at each of these in a bit more detail:

1. Our History: Most businesses don’t teach their history. Big mistake!  When was the business founded, by whom, to do what?   How have we grown, evolved and reinvented ourselves, through good times and bad?  What awards have we won and what lives have we changed?  How many of our front-line Team members have grown to become supervisors and managers?  How have we made a difference in our community and on the planet?
    
2. Our Products & Services: All business sell stuff. Great businesses are on a mission to improve the human condition in some significant way.
    
   Does every Team member know what dedication, ingenuity, innovation, passion and financial investment has gone into to developing or acquiring our products and services?    Do they understand how what we do is special and makes a difference for our customers?  Are they proud of what we sell and how we sell it?
    
3. Their role: Do they understand how their role in the business contributes to our commitment to serve and to be extraordinary?  Do they understand how their role affects our customers, the entire Team and the bottom line?  Are they regularly recognized, thanked and appreciated for their contribution?
    
4. How we’re doing: Top performers want to be on a winning Team…and they want to make a contribution to its success.  Imagine a professional sports team, expected to give it their all …but they’re not allowed to see the scoreboard. 
    
5. Share our Vision: Do we have a clear Vision for the future of the business…and do we share that with our Team?  Most businesses don’t.  Another big mistake.  Good Team members want to know where we’re going, so they know if there are opportunities for them to contribute and grow. 
    
6. Our values, ethics and standards: Do we live by a clear and consistent set of Values, Ethics and Standards that good people can be proud of?   Do we keep our promises and do the right thing, or do we cut corners, bend the rules, deceive customers and Team members…and hope nobody notices?

So, how are you doing on these 6 things that your Team can be proud if and committed to…and how will you use these insights to improve pride, passion and engagement in your business? 

Bonus:  There are many ways to recognize, appreciate, thank and engage your Team members.  To download my insightful Biz Tool #B-22, ’20 tips to help your staff feel important…and be more engaged.’, no charge,  Click Here.

That’s it for this week…

Live brilliantly and be kind to each other!       

Donald Cooper 

Donald Cooper speaks and coaches internationally on management, marketing, and profitability.  He can be reached by email at donald@donaldcooper.com in Toronto, Canada.