Engagement is Not Enough

[Nick McCormick]

I read a book not too long ago by Keith Ayers called, Engagement is Not Enough: You Need Passionate Employees To Achieve ....

Ayers argues that current strategies to get employees engaged are not working. He says that despite the millions spent trying to address the issue, still less than a third of the American work force is engaged.

The book is about building passionate teams. The author states that we all want the same type of people on our teams – motivated, engaged self-starters. Too often, though, we create environments that drive these types of people away. The coercive, control-based leadership style simply does not work.

Keith describes the ingredients, tools, and skills required to create an environment that is conducive to self-directed behavior – like developing people skills that build trust, understanding behavior styles, and becoming more self-aware. He then explains what is necessary to ratchet it up to the next level – to become a purpose centered organization versus an activity based one. Finally he provides an 8 step process for building a high performance team.

Keith is honest and straightforward, providing many valuable examples and models to explain his approach. This book will teach you how to be a better leader. You will also learn a little more about yourself in the process.

[Robert Morris]

Nick:

Although I have not as yet read Ayers’ book, I certainly agree with his emphasis on the importance of passion. That is also a key point in Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba’s book, Creating Customer Evangelists, in which they explain “how loyal customers [can] become a volunteer sales force.”

Many of the same names appear each year on Fortune magazine’s annual list of “The Best Companies to Work For.” For example, Whole Foods Market, Container Store, Ritz-Carlton, and Nordstrom. Those among the EE Networkers who have any direct experience with the “evangelists” who work at those companies can attest to their passion for providing superior customer service. They rave about their company and the people they work with, tell us how much they “love”what they do each day on the job, and are eager to be helpful in every way they possibly can.

These are the people we want to be associated with when we do business as customers and they are also the people we most appreciate as fellow workers.

Best regards, Bob

[Nick McCormick]

Robert,
Thanks for sharing. I'd love to hear from some of the "evangelists." Maybe one will drop by and leave a comment.
Nick