Category // Organisations
30th Jun 2008 @ 9.06am
As The Times publishes its Times Top 100 companies to work for, it comes as little surprise that the focus of this article by Sue Leonard is on the costs that can be saved by keeping your staff happy. And keeping your staff happy has as much to do with employee engagement and maintaining personal and career growth opportunities as it does paying them a good salary. Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Engagement, Organisations
30th May 2008 @ 5.37pm
Martin and I recently ran a couple of workshops at the CiB conference in Brighton, which focused on employee engagement. How I am beginning to resent that phrase ‘employee engagement’. I would much prefer to use the term ‘connectivity’. Perhaps that’s a subject for another day. Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Stories, Organisations
27th Apr 2008 @ 5.19pm
I’m in the middle of Allan Leighton’s book on Leadership, which is refreshingly honest and down to earth. It gives some fascinating insights from some of the captains of industry on the qualities of a good leader, illustrated through their own stories, drawn from their own experiences. Sir Philip Green, Surinder Arora, Stuart Rose, Jacqueline Gold, Richard Baker, Justin King, James Dyson….the list goes on.
Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Stories, Organisations
9th Apr 2008 @ 3.53pm
I wish I had been a fly on the wall at the recent Management Today lunch discussion between some of the UK’s top corporate leaders (Adam Crozier, Royal Mail, Sir Martin Sorrell, WPP, David Brennan, AstraZeneca, Val Gooding, Bupa, Lord Crisp, ex-NHS, Paul Coby, BA, Jane McKenzie, Henley College, Miranda Kennett, First Class Coach and Ian Powell, PwC).
Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Organisations
14th Mar 2008 @ 6.39pm
Communications consultancy CHA has recently published a report which highlights some fairly worrying news about the disengagement of employees and why they don’t seem to find their work worthwhile or meaningful. Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Engagement, Organisations
7th Feb 2008 @ 12.54pm
Ernest Hemingway once claimed that his best story was written in six words: ‘For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn.’ Perhaps this takes clarity and simplicity to the extreme, but what a way to spark the imagination! The Guardian challenged some contemporary authors to put forward their own six-word stories, which are worth a read.
Our own work focuses on making an organisation’s strategic story clear, simple and memorable. Imagine writing a strategic story in six words - anyone up for having a go?!!! I’d love to see what’s out there!
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Stories, Organisations
22nd Jan 2008 @ 11.30am
My attention was recently drawn to a particular blog from the MD of Waitrose. Apart from being most entertaining, it was a great example of leadership role-modelling, not to mention an excellent tool to bring the MD closer to his employees and customers as well as providing a great platform for health and nutrition for both customers and employees alike. Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Engagement, Organisations
14th Jan 2008 @ 8.56am
What makes a good leader? And more importantly, why? Here are seven ‘top tips’ for leaders who want to inspire their people, courtesy of The Practice of Leadership… Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Misc, Organisations
13th Dec 2007 @ 9.59am
Interesting article from Simply Communicate on why storytelling should be promoted in business…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Stories, Organisations
30th Nov 2007 @ 4.48pm
Great article from People Management this month on how Storytelling can be used to engage employees…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Stories, Engagement, Organisations
13th Nov 2007 @ 9.31am
While we talk about the importance of connectivity and alignment, let’s not lose sight of the use and power of stories in our work. Our proposition is to create the energy and commitment required to execute strategic change, by connecting people to the strategic journey, and storytelling is an important part of our solution. Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Stories, Engagement, Organisations
26th Oct 2007 @ 1.00pm
I enjoyed Melcrum’s Strategic Communications Summit last week. Great to see some old friends, new faces and hear some excellent speakers.
One of the key themes that kept cropping up was the ongoing issue of how to get middle / front-line managers to get on board with a company’s strategy. They are the ones who hold the trust of their teams, not the senior leadership team, so engaging them successfully - to the point that they will make it their business to engage their own teams - is absolutely crucial. Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Engagement, Organisations
21st Sep 2007 @ 12.57pm
The recent situation at Northern Rock is a great example of the power of stories and storytelling. When the Bank of England announced that they were underwriting Northern Rock’s finances, both banks believed that this would reduce the risk for NR’s savers. But as many risk specialists will tell you, risk is as much a matter of perception than statistical reality. Read more…
posted by Marcus Hayes
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filed under Stories, Organisations
12th Sep 2007 @ 2.45pm
Business has lost a great storyteller in Anita Roddick. The Body Shop was founded on a great story, and through its evolution has inspired millions through the stories behind its products, its support and campaigns against animal testing and for human rights, ethical trading, the environment and the arts. Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Stories, Organisations
21st Aug 2007 @ 11.35am
I read with interest a recent blog by one of our Canadian partners, Nicky Fried (Strategic Connections), on the loyalty and respect given by immigrant workers. It reminded me of a client’s comment last week on their own issues regarding immigrant workers, and how often their lack of brand awareness can pose a concern of its own. Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Engagement, Organisations
18th Jul 2007 @ 3.13pm
I have always disliked the term ‘human resources’. It implies that people are resources just like anything else at the company’s disposal. Yet people are the company. And whatever plans, strategies and missions may exist, it’s the people - the company - that will succeed or fail in those quests. Read more…
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Engagement, Organisations
17th Jul 2007 @ 8.32am
There are so many definitions of this phrase Employee Engagement. It’s become a mini industry in itself, with a range of companies operating in this field. Web and intranet designers, event producers, pensions and benefits companies, survey companies, healthcare companies - you name it, a vast number of them view themelves as agents of employee engagement. Read more…
posted by Martin Clarkson
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filed under Engagement, Organisations
10th Jul 2007 @ 12.48pm
I recall a great story when a little boy, sick from eating so much sugar beet, was taken by his mother in desperation to Mahatma Gandhi for guidance. She walked for days to get there, but was promptly sent home again by the great man and told to return in a month. The reason? Gandhi needed a month of sugar abstinence himself before telling the boy not to eat any more sugar. Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Stories, Organisations, Brands
11th Jun 2007 @ 6.14pm
Articles like this one from Australia’s The Age are valuable endorsements for our approach. We agree wholeheartedly that storytelling is a critical and valuable component of change.
Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Stories, Organisations
28th May 2007 @ 4.29pm
The Guardian reviews The Bard & Co….
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Organisations
21st May 2007 @ 5.31pm
I’d like to pass comment on an excellent book - The Bard & Co, published by Cyan. Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Stories, Organisations
12th Apr 2007 @ 8.35am
OK. We all know it. Creating true employee engagement in large organisations is no mean feat. True engagement (which doesn’t just come from a nice looking newsletter as we all know) depends on the combination and balance of many factors - leadership skills, communication, reward, development, culture and environment, line of sight, sustainability and so on….the list is a long one. Yet if an organisation gets it right - or as near to right as it can, profitability increases. I’ll say that slightly louder. PROFITABILITY INCREASES. By up to 20 per cent according to the Corporate Leadership Council. Which, unless we’re just here for the ride, is the whole point of an organisation’s existence (at least, in the private sector). Read more…
posted by Martin Clarkson
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filed under Engagement, Organisations
6th Apr 2007 @ 7.46pm
I couldn’t help but cringe with embarrassment for the PR lady widely reported this week to have written in a press release on behalf of her supermarket client that the tradition of giving Easter eggs represented the birth of Christ. Oops. Takes me back to my own early PR days when, on behalf of my confectionery and retail clients, Easter would herald the churning out of yet another consumer press release littered with Easter traditions and chocolatey facts and figures in our vain attempts to catch the eye of a sympathetic journalist who could no doubt recite every Easter tradition under the sun with his/her eyes shut. Except getting our facts wrong (and we didn’t have the internet to help us then!) was a complete no-no. Heads would roll. Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Stories, Organisations
13th Jan 2007 @ 8.10pm
The CIPD has declared that management speak is a key factor in reducing the support and trust that staff have in their managers. We couldn’t agree more - and some of the latest phrases emerging from business, according to Office Angels, are laughable. Apparently cool new buzzwords include ‘thought grenade’ (explosive good ideas), ‘Let’s sunset that’ (let’s not ever mention that bad idea again) and ‘touchpoints’ (meetings).
How does trust relate to management speak? Quite simply because jargon creates barriers, preventing people from communicating effectively. We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again - start talking like normal human beings and you’ll find that people not only understand you, but will relate far better to you and what you’re trying to communicate. Everyone will be better off - and so will the organisation.
posted by Kim
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filed under Organisations
11th Dec 2006 @ 6.25pm
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.
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Engagement, Organisations
3rd Dec 2006 @ 12.40pm
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!
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Organisations
10th Nov 2006 @ 8.18pm
…and to follow on from my last blog, here’s something that reinforces the issue!
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Engagement, Organisations
8th Nov 2006 @ 2.01pm
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.
Read more…
posted by Alison Esse
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filed under Engagement, Organisations
5th Nov 2006 @ 11.46am
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.
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Organisations
4th Oct 2006 @ 8.31am
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…
posted by Paul Honeywell
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filed under Misc, Organisations
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