These days it’s called ‘engagement’ and smart managers are looking for ways to increase it. They want to incorporate practices and attitudes in their group’s MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy™) that will improve productivity and increase engagement.

Two such items are

• basic business knowledge and
• a large dose of pragmatism.

Business 101

Naiveté regarding business frequently leads to non-reality based ideas and attitudes. If people have a fuzzy or rose-colored view of what has to happen for the company to be successful, there’s no way they can contribute effectively.

Worse, this lack of knowledge can make them resistant to the procedural changes necessary to the company’s successful evolution as it grows, shrinks, or changes.

It’s not necessary, or even possible, to provide the in-depth business knowledge that comes from an MBA or 30 years as a successful CEO, but wise managers can provide basic understanding of the actual forces at work within the company, industry and even the economy in general at times such as this.

You want your people to understand

• the Business Mission Statement;
• customer desire as the driving force behind product development (why build it if they won’t buy it?);
• financial controls, what they are and why you need them;
• why/how to avoid blue sky approaches and impossible wish lists;
• the reasons for requiring excellent documentation;
• the importance of quality and manufacturability; and
• other business-specific subjects.

Teaching these should be active, not passive; merely posting the information on your intranet won’t get it done. Use brown bag lunches or company-wide webinars, followed by local discussions, to create a positive learning process.

Finally, be sure you encourage people to use what they’ve learned.

Pragmatism

Pragmatism should permeate your MAP, the groups and the company culture. It should be like stain as opposed to paint—not just covering the surface, but also sinking in.

By practicing pragmatism as well as preaching it, you encourage a reality-based culture where

• setbacks are easier to deal with because they are recognized and acted on quickly;
• employees speak up because they are assured that the messenger will not be shot;
• rose-colored glasses are obvious;
• growth and change of the culture without corrupting it is encouraged; and
• “not-invented-here” syndrome is veer batten.

Pragmatism works best as a part of a MAP that everybody is encouraged to embrace.

It helps to create a company in which not only can everybody see what the Emperor is wearing, but also have no compunction about discussing it.

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Post from: Leadership Turn

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Post from: Leadership Turn