Blog Archive
2006
When it comes to successful cascading of information, all paths lead to leaders – how they role-model the actions and behaviours they expect from their teams, how they communicate down the line and how much interest they take in what’s going on at the coal-face. And that old chestnut ‘how to improve middle management communications’ keeps coming back time and time again.
It won’t come as a surprise to learn that people trust their line managers more than anyone else in the organisation – so, as we have said many times before, that layer of management is very powerful. But like dialogue, trust works both ways. Managers need to trust their teams too.
Think about it like a parent/child. If a parent constantly tells the child what to do, keeps the constraints tight and doesn’t allow the child to show he/she can be trusted to do the right thing, to explore the options and prove him/herself, the resulting attitude or behaviour will range from mere compliance to resentment and even rebellion.
In organisations, middle management behaviours so often reflect this ‘telling’ ethos – ‘this is what we need to do, now go away and do it’. Of course, training can be excellent for learning and development, but in some cases can itself also veer towards ‘telling’. Successful development and coaching of middle managers however is all about encouraging them to invite their teams to participate, explore, collaborate with ideas for better ways of working, share responsibility. It’s about involving them in the strategic planning (within a framework), inviting them to take the initiative, listening to their opinions, asking them for their input. This requires a different type of conversation – and it’s not a ‘telling’ kind of conversation, it’s an ‘inviting’ or ‘asking’ kind. Indeed, coaching and development needs to focus on showing managers HOW to go about having this kind of conversation. The ensuing sense of ownership and pride will be palpable, especially if it can be shared across the organisation. This approach will make a big difference to engagement.
Much of our work focuses on getting leaders to understand and explore how they will role-model the actions and behaviours that are required to change those of their teams.
But change in behaviour needs to apply to other practices and disciplines within an organisation – it doesn’t only start with leadership behaviours. If an organisation wants its people to change the way they think and do things, it needs to lead by example in other areas. It needs, for example, to start by adopting a different approach to how it talks and interacts with its people from the start. Is it reasonable to expect them to change if all they see and exerience are the same old communications methods and practices as before?
Storytelling is all about having a ‘different kind of discussion’. By its very nature, it sends a clear signal of ‘doing things differently’. It has a tremendous power to engage, inform, inspire and learn – to change people’s behaviours. Don’t tell the Strategy, tell a Story. Continue to learn from each other, grow and reinforce those messages through sharing ideas and stories of success and achievement that connect to that strategy and vision. And please, do it creatively – not just by barraging your people with the same old e-mails, PowerPoint presentations and briefings as before!
How many of you get frustrated at having to go through national (or international) call centres to get through to the local branch of your bank? That is, if they allow you to speak to the branch in the first place!
I read an amusing story the other day about an elderly lady trying to phone the local branch of her bank. She was put through to a call centre in Asia, where the salesman tried his very best to persuade her to buy one of a whole suite of products, which she politely declined. Eventually he gave up, and asked her how he could help. “I was just wondering,” she said, “if I’d left my gloves on your counter.”
…and to follow on from my last blog, here’s something that reinforces the issue!
Many organisations we work with see Trust as a critical factor in gaining competitive advantage. But to create a trusted organisation – if that is how you want to be perceived by your customers and external stakeholders – you have to begin with your employees.
Business executives are going back to school on the ancient spiritual wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, which stresses purpose over self. This should come as a relief to those leaders lacking the swagger of a Lou Gerstner.
Knowing who you are, sharing important touchstones in your career and life without theatrics, and stimulating an organization-wide conversation about the organization’s purpose are increasingly seen by top execs as the path to business strength and resilience.
Get the organisation talking and you’ll find innovation. Innovation is what drives organisations forward. And an organisation of engaged employees is far more likely to be one that achieves innovation. What is an engaged employee? Read this…
We all inwardly groan when the PowerPoint turns out to be slide after slide of bullets. We all have experienced the workshops which end up with a stack of crumpled flip-chart paper filled with lists – which some poor soul has to type up and email to everyone, who don’t bother to read them.
What is innovation? Here is an interesting take on the polarities of innovation. Storytelling, for sure, plays an important role in extracting ideas and knowledge from people within organisations, but there are no strict rules as to the form that innovation takes…
We love this poem by Elspeth Murray, which echoes our frustration at the complexity, jargon, irrelevance and clutter that litters communication within organisations today. Elspeth wrote the poem for the launch of the cancer information reference group SCAN (South East Scotland Cancer Network) in January 2006, which has been trying to improve the quality and speed of services for people with cancer.
Another one for the cabinet…..we are delighted to receive yet another accolade for our work with EDS, which has just won a Silver Quill at the IABC’s Southern Region Conference in the US.
IBM recently asked their staff, and those of their major clients, to pitch ideas via a secure website about what the company should be doing. Within three days they had 37,000 responses.
Visions of an Alpine mountaintop with happy and care-free managers flinging their arms into the air as they twirl around with members of their teams are dispelled as reality hits….
Storytelling doesn’t just help people understand and remember information – it acts as a powerful unifier.
If you’re entertaining guests by letting them help with dinner preparations, make sure they know what you’re serving and where to find the pots, pans and utensils. Same thing applies to new employee induction. Give them an orientation that helps them be productive from Day One.
This from Engineer Live….
I went to see a company the other day where the head of employee engagement completely baffled me.
Tucked into the Tate Modern’s fifth floor collections is a video installation by Gary Hill (1951) called Remarks on Color (1994). The piece depicts Hill’s young daughter Anastasia reading from the 20th century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein’s book of the same name.
Great to see that JetBlue’s new advertising campaign is one of storytelling….
The latest report from ISR states clearly that engaged employees will result in improved business performance.
Much of our work focuses on the need to improve customer service as a key driver for increased revenue and greater profitability. In a recent customer service poll of six European countries, we Brits came second. Amongst the least helpful and most surly are the French. Germans top the poll for efficiency, knowledge and customer service. And queuing.
This article on engaging a virtual workforce is interesting. We read an impressive – and increasing – amount of material from India on the subject of employee engagement. With the rapid growth that countries such as India and China are experiencing, it’s not surprising that the subject of employee engagement is taken seriously. We might take a leaf out of their book…..
Steve Adubato has some good things to say about storytelling in business.
‘Telling people what to do doesn’t work any more because they don’t do it – and nor should they.’
Good words from ex BBC boss Greg Dyke – what he has to say in People Management this month ticks lots of boxes for us….
Interesting news in the media this morning about what makes people happy. Less TV, less focus on money, more socialising with friends and participating in community activities where people feel involved and that they are contributing. A particular canton in Switzerland is the happiest, apparently, where a lot of this goes on!
This from Canada. I thought it was quite a good read!
A client told us about their experience when they decided to send a promotional mailing to all their customers all over the world.
According to a new report, only a third of employees in the USA ‘walk the talk’. Interesting reading this, and good to see that storytelling is mentioned of a way to help that engagement process.
A campaign designed by The Storytellers for EDS has received a huge accolade as the company collected PR Week’s coveted Employee Campaign of the Year Award at a glittering ceremony at New York’s Tavern On The Green last night. Fantastic news after a year-long campaign which has achieved superb results for EDS – and a real tribute to our innovative approach to employee engagement!
I’ve got a great big pile of magazines on my desk which are a bit of a challenge to get through, I must admit. But today I read an article in one of them by Michael West, writing in People Management (Oct 05) which really struck a chord.