- Monday 15 January 2018
Recently I was at a meeting at a local hotel. After a long day, with the wind and rain lashing down, I got back to my car to find that the battery was flat. Just what I needed, and as you can imagine the air was fairly blue around me.
I headed back to reception and asked the girl on duty would anyone have a set of jump leads, expecting to have to face a bit of a rigmarole to get some assistance. Here’s a summary of the encounter:
“- Would anyone on the staff, by any chance, have a set of jump leads.
- Actually, I have some in my car.” she replied.
- Oh, great, would you mind if I borrowed them, as my battery is flat.”
- Sure, no problem. And do you have someone with a car to give you a hand?”
-No, but I’ll sort it out and ask somebody in the car park to help. Once I have the leads, I’ll be ok.
- Ah, no, hang on – sure, the leads are of no use to you without the power. Look, I’m on my own here tonight, but if you wait a few minutes I’ll have the Duty Manager cover for me and I’ll drive my car around to where you are and give you the jump start.
- No, No, don’t go to that trouble, I can manage if you can just get the leads to me.
- It’s no trouble at all…I insist”
And sure enough, about ten minutes later, she arrived over in her car – refused to stay out of the rain and just give me the leads – but insisted, and I do mean insisted, in getting out to help.
The next day, I returned and gave her a token box of chocolates as a thank you which I noticed she immediately opened and shared out with her colleagues.
She was the epitome of an engaged employee.
Now, this is a very minor incident in the greater scheme of things but it highlights the fact that when employees are engaged, they see beyond rules and regulations, or their own needs, to focus on the customer. They deliver more and this in turn helps the organization to realize its objectives; this rule applies, no matter what the industry or organization involved.
Of course, engaging employees is far from easy and there is no one thing that will do it. Having researched the issue – in theoretical and practical terms – here are, to me, the 11 pillars to build engagement:
It’s worth considering these factors in relation to your organisation; or at least with regard to the part of it for which you are responsible to see what improvements could be made.
© Dobiquity Limited
