Are you still working with your people the same ole way?

As I sit in my hotel room beginning my 21st year as a professional business coach/consultant, I’am preparing to perform one of the tasks necessary for assisting one of my good clients. It’s a task I’m not particularly excited to do (for a lot of personal reasons) but a task that is probably one of the most important things I do which contributes to their ongoing success. As a result, I do get excited with the positive results which will occur from this task.


I've talked with many managers over the years who have a deep and sincere desire for their employees to become engaged with the company and to become more than just workers who show up every day and do work for a pay check. They want their employees to genuinely feel like part of the company willing to give ideas, contribute at a higher level and to feel good about the organization they give so much of their life to.

Remember years ago, as part of the Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in order to drive home the importance of the major issue they declared “it’s the economy stupid?" Well, when executives tell me they just don’t know how to motivate their people to become engaged in the organization. I often want to explain loudly “it’s a PROCESS stupid." It’s not a motivation speech. It’s not the latest training course given once to a select group of people. It’s not a pep rally or an opinion survey. It is an ongoing process which causes change to happen. Consistently and continually.

Common problems which hinders organizational growth are:

1. Lack of a clear and consistent communication process.

2. A coherent direction and purpose by the leadership.

3. An established "What's in it for me?" for all stakeholders.

4. Gaps in all the "programs" they are going, or have gone, through i.e. not connecting the dots.


5. Absences of a planned process. Process to cause positive things to happen. You can't tell people to become engaged. You must make a way for them to become engaged.


6. Providing the time and money to make all of the above happen.

        Steven Covey in his book "7 Habits of Highly Successful People" very accurately describes where management chooses to spend their time and efforts.

1. Urgent/Important- Crisis-Fire Fighting (This makes us feel important and needed.)

2. Not Urgent but Important - Prevention - Causing something NOT to happen..

3. Urgent but not Important -Interruptions/Meetings

4. Not Urgent not Important – Busy Work/Time Wasters

This week, my task is properly placed in the 2nd quadrant. Education for the masses. It is time consuming, modestly disruptive to the operational flow, a financial investment in the people, but absolutely critical for the successful on going process. It not only informs,but more importantly it causes engagement. Developing your organization for the future is not an event. More than ever before, in the world market we live and do business in, we better be planning a process for the future.

On a personal note..Thanks!! for 20 years of working around the globe with many of you.I have encountered many wonderful people along the way..I am blessed!