A recent Gallup Poll said that 27% of the employees in this country are actively disengaged. Ken Blanchard, a leading management consultant, describes being actively disengaged as “quitting and staying.” In other words, the actively disengaged do only the minimum necessary to keep their job.
Blanchard says that everyone in the organization can contribute to fight active disengagement.
The higher up you are on the organizational chart, the greater your responsibility. I understand “the buck stops with me.” It’s my job to assure that everyone is aware of who we are, what we stand for, where we are trying to go, how we are doing. Writing these notes daily is one of my most significant efforts on this. I regard the development of our intranet site which is loaded with information to be another effort that keeps folks informed. Finally, I hope my reputation is one where honest, straightforward answers can be obtained if someone wants to learn something that they are curious about or need to know.
Throughout our company, leaders everywhere are charged with creating an environment where it’s easy to become engaged. There is no job station or department that doesn’t fit in to what we are trying to accomplish. It’s the role of our plant managers and supervisors to set goals, measure results, define roles, ensure training, listen to questions, solve problems. That is all best done with the participation of every team member. Leaders make those things happen.
Finally, each individual chooses how they will respond to their situation. I had a teacher in high school who suggested it was everyone’s choice about whether “they would bloom where they were planted.”
You choose whether you will strive to increase production at your station.
You choose what kind of teammate you will be.
You choose whether you learn the material, add the skill, make suggestions, help solve problems. Your supervisor may not be all that you wish, but you have a choice about how you will be.
Companies with engaged work forces survive and thrive. Companies with significant disengagement fail.
When I visit our plants, see our lean efforts, watch the creativity of our teams, I see engagement. Keep up the good effort. It sets us apart.
