Majority Rules (or Fools)
Recent events in Egypt and other parts of the Middle East demonstrate that a jobless, disengaged population can revolt and change the history of a country. There are similarities between these events and your employees... even your clients.
Consider some aspects of the change that are occurring:
Much of the "movements" are motivated by passionate young, naïve, unengaged (unemployed) young people who see no future.
The Internet and other media are providing information that is perceived as truth by those upending the status quo, but just because information is on TV or the Internet does not mean it is true.
Frustration and hopelessness only can build so long. If not addressed, its intensity increases until it bursts.
Relate the Mideast passions to your employees:
How much time are you investing to intentionally engage your employees, particularly your young ones? They cannot understand their value to your organization unless you show them.
If you don't train your people how to deliver a superior customer experience, where are they going to learn it from? The different media they view (much of which leads them to the wrong conclusions). For instance, I can't even watch the TV show, The Office, because, while it is funny at times, it is so contrary to my vision of a positive company culture. Some of your employees who watch the show may be inclined to act that way at work. It might be a good idea to counteract the show's negative example by using video clips of the show as an example of what not to do. It's your choice.
How long can you avoid developing a fully engaging company culture so your employees (all of them) feel valued without losing top performers, losing money due to low productivity and losing opportunities that will never appear again?
The bottom line is disengaged employees revolt, publicly or privately, extrinsically or intrinsically, and it hurts your company. What are you going to do to prevent or circumvent such an uprising?
MEETING IDEAS
WHAT'S THE MINIMUM is a reminder that current events can be learning opportunities. Much of what is reported about leadership in the news can apply to our company culture. It may seem like the majority of people in your company are working hard, but the odds are significant that your people have the potential to be more efficient, and more satisfied.
Here are some questions to consider this topic with your team:
How much time did your company invest in developing your employees this past week? Month? Year?
What specific things have you done over the last month to reinforce your company culture?
What happened recently that made you realize an employee did not understand how to properly serve a Client? (They do not know how to provide a superior Client experience unless you teach them and reinforce it constantly.)
What employee has left your company that you would have liked to have kept? What could have changed in your company culture that would have convinced them to decline the other opportunity?
Ask your employees to describe the last compliment they received and when.
