Propel Frontline Leaders

Presentation - "How Frontline Leaders can Engage Everyone Everyday"

2009-08-05T11:28:00.010-05:00

Understanding what separates an engaged person from one who is not. This helps group/team leaders, who are often themselves engaged, to better understand their own engagement and thus help others experience this same satisfaction. The energy from engaging others and the satisfaction of being re-engaged by those same persons through their gratitude for the benefits provided. Also the passion that comes from having your heart and mind in what you are doing and a focus on the daily activities themselves.

This is the important self-centric aspect of engagement which is so necessary for its continuance! Follow our presentation using a new tool called Prezi, there will be additional links to further resources for group/team leaders, line managers, middle and senior managers available -- http://prezi.com/73328/

The Self-Centric Part of Engagement

2009-08-03T20:30:00.011-05:00

When employees engage customers they are then re-engaged themselves by those customers as they become energized by the gratitude from the benefits they provide. Any performer who engages their audience experiences this appreciation as they are re-engaged by that audience whether they are in theater, concerts, sports, or in organizations.

This cycle of engagement is self-centric and the only truly continuous or lasting engagement. Just as self-motivation is the only continuous motivation. People become involved with heart and mind as feedback and focus is on the activity itself which provides purpose, meaning, and accomplishment. Which provides pride, passion, and enthusiasm!

Visit Our 2 Free Webinars Daily to Experience 'Live' Engagement or Archived Presentations 24/7

2009-07-28T06:02:00.000-05:00

Announcing two free daily webinars to learn more about the "Cycle of Engagement" and yes team leaders/managers can involve everyone with heart and mind! Watch and listen online with speakers (VOIP) or dial in to our phone number in New York City.

To access our 'Live Classroom click here or visit our free Class Schedule and click on the time you are interested in for log-in details.

A number of studies indicate that one third of associates are "engaged" in daily operations. This is crucial for all group leaders because only engaged associates are high performers and will engage customers--critical for loyalty. But how do group leaders know at any point in time where their associates are on the engagement continuum? Even more important, how can group leaders keep them moving on the continuum toward full engagement?

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We would love to have you at a live "Live Classroom" to answer and explain any questions, but if you cannot make one we do have an archive you may visit anytime. To attend an archived (taped) Introduction click here.

You may also use visit our website and click on this box at the top --

Adopting a Learning Attitude

2009-07-26T19:05:00.000-05:00

I love this blog post by George Ambler of "The Practice of Leadership" weblog. The importance of learning can never be underestimated for without learning you cannot continue development, betterment, or challenge either as a group or individual.

George Ambler reflects on the importance of having a learning attitude after reading the book “Change Your Questions, Change Your Life: 7 Powerful Tools for Life and Work” by Marilee Adams.

Especially effective is a tool George identifies as an important concept from the book--the distinction that the author makes between the mindset of a judger and the mindset of a learner.

Mindsets

Judger	Learner
Judgemental (of self and/or others)	Accepting (of self and others)
Reactive and automatic	Responsive and thoughtful
Know-it-already	Values not knowing
Inflexible and rigid	Flexible and adaptive
Either/or thinking	Both/and thinking
Self righteous	Inquisitive
Afraid of difference	Values difference
Personal perspective only	Considers perspective of others
Defends assumptions	Questions assumptions
Possibilities see as limited	Possibilities seen as unlimited
Primary mood: protective	Primary mood: curious

Read the entire blog for more insights from George Ambler

Our practice, which you can get for free at ThankingCustomers.com, encourages "reflection" which is synonymous with questions, asking, thought, mindfulness, as well as a basis for learning. Thus reflection is also critical to build engagement! How?

Engagement requires involvement with heart and mind. For a person to get involved (skills match challenges) with their heart and mind, daily activities must provide the feedback in addition to feedback from colleagues and supervisors. A person must first be reflective in order to receive feedback from the activity itself! As this occurs their heart and mind will be involved and engagement follows.

Only an engaged associate can engage a customer! And only a customer can continue to re-engage an associate! This creates a cycle of engagement which retains both customers and associates to the group.

You can see engagement by the demonstration of three behaviors--intentions, attention, and reflection. A smile is almost always an indicator of engagement, although, not everyone that smiles is engaged.

What every group leader needs to know about engaging employees--involving people with their hearts and minds

2009-07-25T15:14:00.000-05:00

The following points are a result of five years of research to understand the actions which any group leader (or line manager) can take to help people (members, beneficiaries, and stakeholders) become self-motivated, passionate, enthusiastic, and expert in the groups efforts and objectives. In an enterprise this may be called employee engagement, and the beneficiaries are customers, but these points also apply to leading groups in education, civic, government, religious, and family.

* Every person arrives and contributes to your group (and all groups) at their own current level of engagement. Each person's own level of engagement, is influenced by their past and present group experiences. You can easily assess (without measurements) this engagement on a continuum from 'fully engaged' to 'actively disengaged'. Everyone (employees, customers, and stakeholders) can and will move on this continuum, no one is static. As a group leader you can help each person move towards 'full engagement'. Even those that arrive fully engaged are most likely unaware as it is not taught in any curriculum.

* No one can motivate/engage another person! One can only help another learn by experience the fulfillment of self-motivation/engagement (involvement with heart and mind). You cannot feel 'personally' responsible to motivate/engage another person as this only creates frustration and helplessness. Rather, create the environment to help others engage themselves. Also your enthusiasm, self-motivation, and passion serve as an example and inspiration to others.

* To sustain motivation/engagement the activity itself must provide feedback! Engaged persons are re-engaged by the activity and people in it, more so than by colleagues and supervisors. You must focus on the activity first or you will lose sight of your purpose as activities are aligned with the group's purpose.

This may seem counter intuitive as group members learn as early as the school system to receive feedback on their actions from colleagues and supervisors through systems to 'manage' the groups efforts. For the 'leadership' of soft skills such as enthusiasm and reflection one must also provide feedback from the activity itself. This will make your tasks simpler, enjoyable, and more successful.

* Any group leader can provide people feedback from the activity itself by helping them ask (mostly non-verbally) the critical questions for "How are we doing?" - both individually and collectively. Focus on the activity first and the people within the activity secondly to allow everyone to participate in the groups learning experiences and understanding. The activity focus reduces the personalities and builds a sense of purpose. Most communications and learning is non-verbal or "informal".

Our research determined five actions a group leader can do with (not to) their group members to initiate this process for self-motivation/engagement. Note that a process is merely a set of steps (or I like to think of it as a recipe) for creating something and, unlike a program or system, does not need to come from the top but can be inserted anywhere within an organization--even in a single group as a trial.

Begin and end with "Thanking" everyone. This provides recognition and appreciation through daily operations.
Next invite participation to demonstrate everyone's intentions
Then ask, almost always non-verbally, "How are we doing?" to learn the 'critical' daily operations which determine success.
Distribute the feedback with everyone through daily activities. Let them 'naturally' become involved and challenged.
Continue to bulletin or share workplace experiences and relationships. Make assessments (share opinions) by fostering a continuous dialogue.

Repeat the cycle

Free eBook for any Group Leader (present or future) to Involve Everyone with Heart and Mind

2009-07-23T10:20:00.002-05:00

Simply go to our online Publisher and you can immediately download a free 'How-to' workbook for a time tested practice to engage everyone in any group.
You can save, print, or even distribute it (just do not sell it). Not even a registration required, although you can register with only an email and password and the site will store your eBook for you to return, sign-in and read. If the above link does not work, cut and past this URL - http://www.lulu.com/content/213500 . Take a 3-minute tour of the practice!

We offer this because, now more than at any other time in our memory, people are changing and seeking jobs (groups). Making this an excellent opportunity for anyone to learn a recipe (skill set) to boost one's own confidence and help others learn to energize themselves by involving their hearts and minds in group activities. Best of all the recipe (activity) can be practiced in any group whether education, civic, family, religious or enterprise.

Working with "Purpose"

2009-07-20T10:05:00.000-05:00

"You cannot just invent a Purpose, you have to discover one. And this has to be a Purpose that you and your colleagues can genuinely share. At the same time you have to ensure that your strategy and your Purpose support each other."

Read Nikos Mourkogiannis’ book, “Purpose, the Starting Point of Great Companies”

Also listen to an interview with Nikos on The Cranky Middle Manager Show #72 Your Company’s Purpose- Nikos Mourkogiannis

"Purpose" Manifesto from Nikos http://www.changethis.com/pdf/29.04.Purpose.pdf