Are you miscasting your employees?
- December 28, 2018
- / Lynne Randall
- / EntreCon Pensacola
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Wisconsin native Kevin Sheridan (KevinSheridanLLC.com; @KevinSheridan12), the morning presenter at Entrecon® 2018, shared a moving personal story of his dear friend Betty Wells, an 84-year-old decorated Ochsner Health System employee in New Orleans, LA.
After hearing Kevin’s story, I realized that Betty and I both suffered from being “miscast.” Betty, a former hospital janitor, was part of “The Walking Dead” — 73% of employees who are either “ambivalent” about their work or actively “disengaged” (Source: HR Solutions, Inc.). She was assigned a role that misfit her gift; she was not given the ability to do what she did best, a key driver of employee engagement. She was eventually “re-cast” as a hospital greeter and blessed both her organization and her Metairie community.
I, on the other hand, chose to accept a highly-desired high school instructional position when really my heart and soul was in helping businesses thrive! My teaching position fell short in five of Kevin’s ten “Key Drivers of Engagement,” listed below, leading me to resign from my position after a few short months:
- Job Content – The Ability to Do What I Do Best
- Direct Supervisor/Manager Leadership Abilities
- Open and Effective Communication
- Co-worker Satisfaction/Cooperation and
- Availability of Resources to Perform the Job Effectively
I’ve always been thankful for my ability to self-motivate, commit to quality performance and work ethic, be supportive of my coworkers, and truly be customer-service oriented—qualities that define an engaged employee. However, trying to maintain engagement when key drivers are missing almost always results in poor performance.
Engagement: A Management AND Employee Responsibility
According to Kevin, employee engagement is both a management AND employee responsibility. Although my administration missed the mark on several drivers, I take full responsibility and ownership for also missing mine. I should have returned to the job content I do best, in the business sector; but I also failed to meet co-workers before accepting my position and to learn more about the institution’s culture.
Another strategic engagement driver Kevin stressed is recognition, both from leader to worker and peer to peer. How often do you say, or have you heard, “I saw what you did, and what you did was valuable to our organization because _________________. Let’s celebrate!”?
The well-known truism, “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” is infectious. How often have you given or received recognition, specific not general, which made a team member feel like he or she really mattered to your organization?
I’ve worked in both cultures, and the joy I experienced in my “recognition” culture was heartfelt and lasting. I enjoyed being at work, thinking about work, and being intentional about who I could whole-heartedly compliment every day! To-date, my time as Director of Business Development at Chick-fil-A Winchester Rd. in Memphis, TN, still plants a huge smile on my face.
I’m sure Miss Betty cherished the recognition Oschner presented her for outstanding service! Her organization got it right by first “re-casting” her into customer service—blessing their patients, fellow team members, and Miss Betty—and by formally recognizing her for her achievements (She also received unexpected, additional recognition by her story’s inclusion in Kevin’s New York Times bestseller, Building a Magnetic Culture).
I’m thankful for all the people I have met and the professional experiences I’ve gathered along the way; there is purpose in all of it. Even though my instructional position may have been a “miscast,” call me Betty, I’m encouraged by Kevin’s resounding morning refrain: “When you face hard days in your personal or professional life, keep moving…momentum is your best friend!” I’m planning on a personal recast; engagement, here I come!
Leaders: How to Put EntreCon® Lessons Into Action
Here are two ways you can make sure your employees are “cast” in the right role:
1. Have One-on-One Conversations (more than once a year)
How often do you sit down to have a real conversation with your subordinates? Talking to your employees is the first step in getting to know them, and an easy way to tell if they like their job and feel they are cast correctly. It also gives you a chance to discuss the following key drivers of engagement:
- Career Mapping/Development – Where do you see yourself in a year, 5 years, 10 years? What do you like most about your job?
- Strategy and Mission – Do you understand how your job ties back to this and how you're making a difference?
- Job Content – Are you utilizing your talents and skills to the fullest? If not, what ideas do you have to implement those into your work?
- Open and Effective Communication – How do you like to be communicated with? What does good communication look like to you?
- Co-worker Satisfaction/Cooperation – How is this going? Do you have any suggestions for improvement?
- Availability of Resources to Perform the Job Effectively – Do you have all of the resources to do your job to the highest level
- Organizational Culture – Diversity Awareness and Inclusion, Corporate Social Responsibility, Work/Life Balance, etc.
2. Devote to (and Invest in) Strengths-Oriented Development
Instead of focusing on what your employees are doing wrong, focus on what they’re doing right. As Kevin mentioned in his presentation, “Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time, and it annoys the pig.” -George Bernard Shaw.
According to Brandon Hall Group, mobilizing employees into roles and experiences that leverage their unique talents in alignment with business goals is the straight-line path high-performing organizations take to fulfill employee potential. Management by Strengths helps employers (and employees) understand their own and others’ unique communication styles. Another great tool is StrengthsFinder 2.0 from Gallup and Tom Roth. This assessment help leaders understand their employees’ distinctive strengths so they can make sure they are “cast” in the correct role.
What other ways can you think of to make sure employees are cast correctly? Share them with us at [email protected]. Also, be sure to sign up for our newsletter to get all of the latest articles on leadership and development!
About the Author:
Lynne Randall, Pensacola Business Professional
Lynne served as a business consultant specializing in human resource management for Chick-fil-A’s both in Tennessee and Florida. She also served Santa Rosa County high school students as a Career and Technical Education instructor (and FBLA adviser) specializing in Microsoft Office certifications.
Lynne earned her master’s in business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi and completed Studer Education’s TeacherReady program to gain her Florida Professional Educator business education certification in 2015.
Lynne is currently seeking the perfect “recast” and developing a much-needed Career Transition group for Northwest Florida. She is also actively involved as a Studer Community Institute volunteer (we appreciate her so much!). In her spare time she enjoys reading, biking and traveling with her husband to spend time with their four children.
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