|
||||||||
| Abracadabra by Mike Wagner |
|
Wouldn't
it be great to be able to wave a magic wand, mutter an incantation, and
create a fully-engaged workforce? Unfortunately, it’s not quite that easy
– but it is possible.
In the mid-90s I was working at Saturn – a place that knew how to get me completely involved in the work. How did they do it? Here are five employee engagement lessons I learned during my tenure at Saturn:
1. Have a reputation for
breaking with the past.
Employees looking for more than a 9 to 5 experience want to hear you're
not like any other place they've worked. Let them know this from the moment
they fill out a work application. Saturn's marketplace claim was “A different
kind of car company.” They were breaking with the auto industry's “business
as usual” and everyone who applied for work knew it.
However, it wasn't for everyone. Of the seven people in my department, only
one had prior automobile industry experience. Employee engagement starts
with attracting those looking for more than a paycheck.
2. Train to the brand.
Every new employee received training at Saturn's home office in Spring Hill,
Tennessee. That was a non-negotiable commitment made by every Saturn store
owner.
Technicians, sales consultants, and even receptionist learned how their
job contributed to delivering the Saturn brand difference. Being fully engaged
in one’s work is possible only when employees know how their job fits into
the success of their department, division, company, and overall brand.
3. Promote only engaged
leaders.
My job interview was conducted by a manager who was clearly alive with the
vision of Saturn. He spoke and acted more like an owner than a middle manager.
His clarity and energy for the Saturn brand was obvious – and infectious.
Logos and tag lines are merely abstractions of a brand. It’s people who
know what it means to live the brand and make it real. More things are caught
than taught, yet many companies allow less than engaged leaders to manage
and supervise their employees. The results are predictable.
Promoting employees like the man who interviewed me shows new hires what
full engagement looks like and what's expected of them.
4. Respect the customer.
The dirty little secret about auto sales industry is their low regard for
the customer. There are a number of derogatory terms for customers used
in the industry.
Our leadership knew you couldn't be engaged serving people for whom you
had no respect, so we used none of those terms at Saturn. Instead we had
one term for our customer, "guest". That word defined how we felt
about and responded to our customers.
5. Reward those who volunteer
their best.
Even though we received a paycheck, Saturn understood every employee was
a volunteer.
Engaged employees volunteer their emotional energy, creativity, determination
and a host of other contributions that never appear on a job description.
Strong brands have employees who volunteer “something more” to their jobs.
A lot has changed since my time at Saturn. Recent developments
at General Motors may bring an end to Saturn. That would be a sad day for
us who learned how to live the Saturn brand and found a great deal of satisfaction
in being a different kind of car company.
Regardless, the wisdom of Saturn's leaders in creating their brand and an
engaged workforce remains true today. These are lessons worth learning and
applying in your organization.
Remember, fully-engaged employees don't magically appear out of thin air.