Employee Engagement | Banging Pans and Throwing Fish in Corporate America

Increasing Joy at Work Increases Employee Engagement

One evening several summers ago, my husband and I (who don’t have children of our own) were at a playground with my six and seven-year-old niece and nephew.  They took me to the highest part of a fort and told me that I was the princess, they were my guards, and that my husband was “the bad guy.”  I was instructed to stay in the tower and they would protect me!  In the moments that followed, my husband and I were transported back to a world we have nearly forgotten.

As I found myself savoring each second of that evening, I also found myself wondering why we don’t visit that world more often.

The entire experience made me think about the Disney Movie, Monsters, Inc., a movie about Monsters that power their world by capturing the energy in a child’s scream.  Through a series of events they discover that a child’s laugh produces much more energy than a scream.  …Ultimately transforming their entire world.  Do you see the connection to the workplace?  

Have You Shared Your Vision With Your Team?

I was a new middle manager on my first trip across the country to the Corporate Office and was seated in the Executive Boardroom for a meeting.  As we were preparing to take a short break, the CEO leaned across the table and asked me, 

“Chery, have you shared your vision with your team?”

I gulped and my mind raced…  Oh no!  I’m supposed to have one of those?  (My mind quickly visualized the formal vision statements that are printed and hung on the wall for all to see.)  As I exited the boardroom, I wandered down the hallway wondering what a vision was and how to get one FAST!

Real Leaders Challenge The Status Quo

Real leaders lift others up and challenge the status quo:

  • For the good of their employees.
  • For the good of their customers.
  • For the good of their organization.
  • For the good of their neighbors.
  • For the good of their community.
  • For the good of their country.
  • For the good of their world.

They don’t wait for a title to lead.

They use what they have, right where they are to make a difference!

For the crazy ones who think they can change the world…

 

~This is one of my favorite quotes…

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”  Apple

[Tweet “I am one of the crazy ones!”]