Following tested and proven recipes for employee engagement works – so why do so many leaders try short-cuts, substituting ingredients, and or rushing through steps? Many times when we don’t follow the engagement recipe – the desired results (commitment, effort, and loyalty) just don’t happen and performance suffers.
It reminds me of learning to make ginger cookies with my Gram V. nearly 50 years ago. Gram made the best ginger cookies. They were round in shape and rolled out – not “dropped” or shaped like “people”. Each had white sugar sprinkled on top and with a cold glass of milk could “fix” almost any problem I encountered.
Gram was a stickler and reminded me to “always follow the recipe - step by step- and your ginger cookies will turn out great”. In my early “apprentice” ginger cookie baking days, I had great intentions but sometimes my actions didn’t match. For example, a couple of times I did things out of sequence and ultimately added more work. Sometimes I didn’t measure the way Gram taught me and the cookies tasted very “different” – yes, I quickly learned teaspoon versus tablespoon made a BIG difference. More than once I forgot an ingredient because I didn’t use the recipe card – I thought I just knew what to do. One time I accidentally used baking powder instead of baking soda because I was preoccupied with something else. Another time I wanted to go out and play so I secretly raised the oven temperature 100 degrees – yup the cookies were dried out and many burned! But each time I kept my promise and took the time to follow the recipe and process – Gram’s ginger cookies always came out the way I expected – delicious and very satisfying (to both the baker and cookie eater).
Research has proven time and time again that world-class engagement requires some key ingredients including showing genuine interest in the individual; dialoguing through two-way communication; giving and accepting feedback on performance; counseling on careers; and showing appreciation. If you short-cut, substitute, or rush through these interactions (not transactions) then both the leader and his/her employees may not be fully engaged. Your ultimate performance and results may reflect this too.
It reminds me of learning to make ginger cookies with my Gram V. nearly 50 years ago. Gram made the best ginger cookies. They were round in shape and rolled out – not “dropped” or shaped like “people”. Each had white sugar sprinkled on top and with a cold glass of milk could “fix” almost any problem I encountered.
Gram was a stickler and reminded me to “always follow the recipe - step by step- and your ginger cookies will turn out great”. In my early “apprentice” ginger cookie baking days, I had great intentions but sometimes my actions didn’t match. For example, a couple of times I did things out of sequence and ultimately added more work. Sometimes I didn’t measure the way Gram taught me and the cookies tasted very “different” – yes, I quickly learned teaspoon versus tablespoon made a BIG difference. More than once I forgot an ingredient because I didn’t use the recipe card – I thought I just knew what to do. One time I accidentally used baking powder instead of baking soda because I was preoccupied with something else. Another time I wanted to go out and play so I secretly raised the oven temperature 100 degrees – yup the cookies were dried out and many burned! But each time I kept my promise and took the time to follow the recipe and process – Gram’s ginger cookies always came out the way I expected – delicious and very satisfying (to both the baker and cookie eater).
Research has proven time and time again that world-class engagement requires some key ingredients including showing genuine interest in the individual; dialoguing through two-way communication; giving and accepting feedback on performance; counseling on careers; and showing appreciation. If you short-cut, substitute, or rush through these interactions (not transactions) then both the leader and his/her employees may not be fully engaged. Your ultimate performance and results may reflect this too.
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