Driving corporate culture and engagement

Corporate culture and an engaged staff usually go hand in hand but how do you exactly do you achieve that?

The golden rule is to define the values of the organization and then for the senior executives to lead by example.  Everything else should trickle down which includes developing an engaged staff.

But how else can you support this initiative to get employees speaking up and becoming actively involved?  Here are some ways:

1.

 Transparency and clarity.  Avoid mixed messages or changing directions on a frequent basis.  If priorities keep changing, the desire to stay focused and motivated lessons and employees are less inclined to vocalize both the good and the bad.  

2.

 Hold yourself and others accountable for maintaining the desired values and objectives set by senior management. The stronger the message is at all levels, the more momentum that is created by the entire company.

3.

 "Work the floor"  The more interaction that senior and middle management have with the "common" workers, the more that employees connect with their leaders.  This connection and added respect for executives who are proactively interacting, increases engagement levels.  The added bonus to this is that I am often told by senior executives that the amount that they learn by working at the grass roots level is staggering.  They gain awareness in everything from opportunity identification and driving efficiencies, to gaining a better understanding of their customer.  

4.

 Following up with employees is critical.  It sounds so simple but it is shocking how little it is practiced.  If you don’t value getting back to the employees on an issue, it does not take long for communication to deteriorate on both sides.  It is not a coincidence that the companies who have the most town halls and two way company communication, are often the companies who excel in employee engagement surveys.

Farewell,

Mike