10 tips to minimize conflicts.

Conflicts are inevitable and in many ways a healthy part of human interaction. They allow us to see and understand what is important to us and to others… the metaphoric line in the sand. However, left unresolved, conflicts fracture strong, meaningful relationships and weaken the works in progress.  Resentment builds, slowly turning to anger and disdain.

At the heart of most conflicts is miscommunication and most importantly, lack of understanding or empathy (emotional intelligence). The key is to resolve them quickly and effectively. How do you achieve that?

Here's how.

1.  MAINTAIN an optimistic outlook… by staying optimistic and hopeful, you will experience less frustration and therefore, more calm. A calm mind doesn’t get lost in the negative ego that fuels conflict.

2.  PRACTICE Empathetic listening… it’s not always about your perspective and opinion. Taking their angle into consideration could diffuse the issue.

3.  ASK the other person to suggest a solution. This one works wonders because it empowers the other person. Often times, anger is a result of having no power or voice.

4.  SEEK to understand… most conflicts are based on misunderstanding. If you focus on understanding, you may still disagree, but it’s hard to become negative or defensive. Did I mention empathy?

5.  CONSIDER your role in the conflict and adapt accordingly. Ultimately, we are responsible for our choices and behavior and can change them at any time. We can’t change the behavior of others. Conflicts are rarely based on one person or one side. This realization is the game-changer. Unfortunately, accountability is in big part the deal breaker. Carry this responsibility well and enjoy the rewards.

6.  ACKNOWLEDGE the opinions and perspective of others. Sometimes the simple act of acknowledging somebody else’s opinion is a massive first step to resolution. Let them clearly know you see and respect their point or perspective.

7.  STATE your case tactfully. Diplomacy goes a long way. Humans are emotional beings, with some being more sensitive than others. Tact doesn’t mean being soft or compromising your stance. Tact is about optimizing your emotional intelligence to secure a positive outcome.

8.  “ATTACK" the problem, not the person. This is the one that we too easily get caught up in. The problem becomes personal and we focus on accusing the person of wrong-doing. Though wrong-doing may be the issue, the root cause lies deeper. Take time to explore the real problem.

9.  AVOID the blame game. This is something we’ve probably all done at some point; blame. It may not be your fault, but you are always responsible for how you react or respond.

10.                ORGANIZE a necessary and concise meeting to openly discuss. Focus on the resolve. In the workplace this brings great value to allow the situation to be openly discussed in a meeting. The key it to use the time effectively and strategically. If you can’t meet in person, then do a video conference call (zoom, Skype or…). In a personal conflict situation, take a time out in a relaxed environment and address the issue openly and using the previous 9 steps… share this list with them too and both agree and commit to following this playbook. You’ve got this!

BRING IT ALL TOGETHER: Tap into your Emotional Intelligence and become more aware of your personal behavior, needs and emotional triggers. Become even more aware of the triggers in others. It’s a two-way street. Breathe, relax, step outside of yourself for a moment and respond from a healthy place void of stress, anger or unconscious bias. If you’ve executed all ten options and zero resolve has been established, you may be dealing with an ass%&*#. Walk away and cut your losses. It’s a long-term win win.

LEARN MORE: My online communication course has a whole session dedicated to this topic. While you’re there, you’ll obtain endless tools to improve your communication and relationships.

At ENGAGteams360 we specialize in transformational leadership. Our process is fun, relevant, actionable and memorable. We'd love to engage your team and initiate a behavioral paradigm shift that will impact your company culture.

Our results include, revitalized employees, elevated customer service, innovation, and happier and optimized cultures that strengthen your brand.

BOOK US TODAY and begin the transformation.

Sincerely,

Vital Germaine

PRESIDENT of ENGAGE Teams 360

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Elevate Your Leadership Worth With 2 Simple Behaviors.

It's common knowledge to say that company culture is at the heart of the success of every organization. The way in which your team interacts within itself heavily influences and determines how they will interact with your customers. However, as individuals we have the responsibility to not sit back and wait for leadership to spoon feed us on how to behave. 

As individuals we must have integrity and personal accountability in regards to our behaviors and standards if we want to succeed and elevate our value. 

Choose to "show up" for your own personal dignity and sense of integrity. Integrity is doing the right thing when no-one is watching. Doing and giving your best is always the right thing to do. 

1. INTEGRITY: Your personal accountability and integrity will create positive ripples, making you a leader by example and setting the tone for others to be inspired by. Behaviors and attitudes are contagious regardless of how high or low we find ourselves on the social food chain. We can elevate or deflate. It's a choice regardless of circumstance.

2. ACCOUNTABILITY: I once had what most might consider a bottom of the pyramid kind of job. I washed dishes!

Washing dishes neither held me back nor allowed me to lower my standards. I was neither ashamed nor did I lose motivation or belief. I still held myself accountable to deliver results with pride and dignity. I set a personal challenge and goal to be the best dish washer in town despite hating the job. Accountability is not always easy. Integrity is easily compromised. . 

Make it a habit to always deliver the best of you. Commit to being extraordinary. Always choose to SHOW UP. Elevate your leadership and human value by doing what’s right and acting with responsibility for your choices.

Consistency transforms action into habits and habits determine who you will or won't become. Stay focused and committed because that approach will influence, overlap and benefit you in all aspects of your life.

Vital Germaine

President of ENGAGE Teams 360

Learn more in the REVISED EDITION of: INNOVATION MINDSET, shaping the mindset of innovation and transformation for leaders and cultures.

In the REVISED EDITION you will get insight into Cirque du Soleil’s highly successful and industry-defining process.

You'll learn how to inspire extraordinary performance from your workforce. The book provides actionable tools for leaders to leverage in office-space scenarios.

The book also includes interviews with thought leaders from different industries: Tim Sanders, New York Times Best-selling author and former Yahoo executive. Jordan Adler, Best-selling author and MLM Millionaire. Randy Sutton, former police detective and TV News contributor. Dennis Bonilla, Executive Dean at UoPX and former U.S. Navy Nuke!“Creativity is not a skill or a talent. It’s a mindset. Find your inner Da Vinci!”

Learn about ENGAGEteams360's leadership and culture development strategies and solutions. We are different and definitely inspire transformation.

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Cultural Diversity, why is it not working?

One of the most powerful lessons I've learned about diversity is when I Naturalized and became a US Citizen in 1999.

During the ceremony, the judge declared that becoming American did not mean you were no longer your previous nationality. It wasn't a question of "you're either with us or against us." Your old culture can co-exist with your new nationality (on paper) in this wonderful country.

I more recently had the honor to emcee and deliver a keynote for the "Celebrating Our Leaders" event. Here's why it was so impactful and relevant.

They had attendees from an assortment of nations; Zimbabwe, Australia, South Africa, The Netherlands, Malaysia, The Philippines, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. 

It completely illustrated what it should look, taste and feel like. If only the world could replicate this harmonious coming together of differences. 

Everybody seemed to on the same page with a common goal, a common purpose, and a collective desire that brought them together regardless of their color, creed, socio-economic background or gender. Their commonalities made it a United Nations in harmony. It was a question of seeing, recognizing and acknowledging each other for our differences.

One of the South Africans shared a Zulu greeting, Sawubona, which in essence translates to “I see you.” Sawubona is also infused with the belief that when others “see” me, then I exist. Empathy is the ultimate form of seeing somebody and telling them, “Sawubona.” This encounter taught me much.

I realized that diversity is not a corporate program or a politically correct implementation strategy.

The truest and most authentic form of diversity is an organic, natural event based on individual open-mindedness, understanding, empathy, respect and consideration of differences. It's a personal responsibility. Make the choice to be culturally, socially, ethnically and religiously encompassing.

Humans innately know right from wrong without the need for corporate programs and government regulations.

All good humans understand the value of equality, respect, recognition and appreciation. The true "program" begins in our homes with our children and ourselves. 

This does not detract from the noble attempts of corporate America to improve the concept of cultural diversity. I believe that diversity programs are having a positive influence and that it should be continued, promoted and pushed.  However, it is best not implemented in the form of policy. Diversity should be organically and subconsciously filtered into a culture as a default setting. 

How do we achieve this utopian objective?

In regards to the workplace. It starts at the executive level. The diversity platform is based on the philosophical behavioral foundations that leadership acts out and lives by.  C-suite executives are still too monochromatic and one dimensional in appearance and philosophy. When change is implemented from the top, then everybody who falls under that influence, will organically follow because it feels right and is indeed the right way to behave. Changing that lob-sided dynamic would have an exponential ripple effect. It's a massive challenge for the old-guard to relinquish the power of status quo. Until they do, change will be incremental and painfully ineffective. 

The notion of "equal but different" must have a pulse fueled by loving hearts that have at their core the blood of compassion and empathetic desire for a better world.

Perhaps I have a diversity "advantage" over many and the concept comes easy to me because of my eclectic background. I am a Belgian National, born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who got to live the American dream by way of a French-Canadien circus (Cirque du Soleil). My parents are bi-racial and I have lived on 3 separate continents and in 5 different countries. I speak 3 languages fluently. Nonetheless, it remains a choice to live with an open and non-judgmental attitude.

We musn't wait until our species encounters a common enemy from beyond the stars to realize the power of unity woven together by variety and inclusion.

The world will inevitably become diverse. Embrace it and take personal responsibility to speed up that process.

Thank you, dankie, terimah kashi, merci, asante, kosonomon, bayerla, danke schoen, shye shye, grazie, spacibo, gracias, Ngiyabonga, bedankt. Sawubona to you all.

Vital Germaine is the top-selling author and Las Vegas's most dynamic keynote speaker and trainer. For more in Vital

Happiness in the workplace: some shocking stats!

1. Happiness in the workplace.

Gallup did a survey to measure employee engagement and happiness. They polled 25 million employees (part time and full time) in 189 different countries and concluded that 1 in 2 employees are not happy at work. That’s a very sad statistic. People quit their bosses more than the job itself because their boss makes them unhappy. I think we can all relate to a bad boss???? Read about building happy cultures.

2. General happiness.

Source: TIME

• In a survey of 2,345 U.S. adults conducted online between April 10 and 15, 2013, only a third of Americans (33 percent) reported being very happy.

• People whose annual income is between $50,000 and $74,999 are happier than people who earn between $75,000 and $99,999.

• People with a college degree are happier than those without.

• The South is the happiest region. 

• 65+ is the happiest age group.

• Married people are happier than unmarried.

• Having a child under the age of 18 in one's household makes no difference at all.

• People who are registered to vote are happier than average.

• People who live in the suburbs are generally happier than inner city dwellers.

3. Happiness by gender.

According to TIME magazine, women are happier than men.

Source: WikiGender

"Women report greater levels of unhappiness later in life compared to men, according to a new study conducted at the University of Cambridge and University of Southern California. (Published in the Journal of Happiness Studies 2008)."

4. Happiness by age.

Source: WikiGender

The same study showed that, "Men were the most melancholic at the age of 20, a period when they are most likely to be single. In contrast, greater life satisfaction for men is obtained through increasing purchasing power and the ability to acquire long-desired and coveted items, such as a car. These items might not be within their financial reach until later in life, explaining the increase in happiness."

"It was discovered that women are, on average, happier than men in early adulthood. The age of 48 seems to be an important turning point in women’s sense of happiness, this is when there is a reversal in the fortunes and life satisfaction of the genders."

At the age of

•      34: Men’s general satisfaction exceeds women’s general satisfaction with life

•      41: Men’s financial satisfaction exceeds women’s financial satisfaction 

•      48: Men’s overall happiness exceeds women’s overall happiness 

•      64: Men’s satisfaction with family life exceeds women’s satisfaction

5. Happiness by race.

Source: Huffington Post

• 28% of Hispanic Americans say they are happy.

• 36% of African Americans qualify as very happy.

• 34% of White Americans claim to be happy.

HAPPINESS TIPS:

Find a sense of purpose that is bigger than yourself. Be of a giving disposition that brings value to the lives of others. Get a dog or a cat. Travel and create memories rather than collect things. Spend time by the ocean, in forests and nature in general. Exercise and enjoy the endorphins. Eat lots of dark Belgian chocolate (phenylethylamine). Do something new and exciting regularly. Share more love. Do right by your fellow man. Smile, kiss and hold hands whenever possible. Meditate. Do random acts of kindness. Hang out with people that love and get you. Have the intention of making others happy and feel good about themselves... these should elevate your joy levels spiritually and scientifically. If none of these work, may I suggest a good glass or red wine.

THE ANSWER TO HAPPINESS

The key to happiness is to be aware of your most important needs and expectations. Build a life that accommodates or fulfills those needs and expectations. Then be grateful that you have those fundamental needs in place, and enjoy vibrating at a high frequency and attract even more happiness. Jim Rohn summed it best when he said that happiness is designed.

Thank you for reading.

If this blog was of value or made you think what happiness means to you and what you need to become that emotion, then please share or comment.

Vital Germaine.

The Power of Optimism

READ THE PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT BLOG

Sincerely,

Vital Germaine

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The tragic outcome of human disconnectedness

Hurt, angry people do hurtful angry things, such as the mass shooting in Las Vegas.

Why do people choose to take innocent lives to make a statement, albeit personal, political or religious?

When such acts of hate and violence happen in your home back yard, it seems to resonate a lot louder than from the perils happening in another corner of the world. I can't help to wonder, why?

I am both proud and disgusted to be a human being. This is all so emotionally overwhelming and confusing. 

A lack of love, understanding, acceptance, connection and belonging are often the root cause of acts of violence and hate. This modern "connected" world is so emotionally disengaged and desensitized to the basic emotional needs of fellow humans. We are more lonely, less understood, over-stimulated and too distracted to value the truly relevant aspects of a meaningful life. Where is George Carlin when we need him? 

I am not taking a stance as to what's right, wrong, better or worse. That's for each and everyone of us to ask individually. It is, however, time to ask the necessary and difficult questions and address the pink elephant in the room while he's just taken a massive dump in our living room? Thought must be provoked in order to find a potential answer to this hurtful madness.

Is it finally time to have a gentlemanly discourse as to what can and should be done to prevent such events from happening again, and again, and again? Solutions need to be entertained in order to disrupt what no longer appears to work. 

Logic tells me that the best time to address a wound, is when it's fresh and gushing gallons of blood. That brings urgency. This is urgent!

Is it too early to suggest a conspiracy or cover-up?  

The apparent act of a loner who at the age of 64 suddenly, "loses it," seems a little strange. Yes, time will reveal a clearer picture. But will it? Will the truth of the 1 October in Vegas disappear behind the magic media curtain?

Is it too soon to talk about gun laws?

Questioning our 2nd Amendment rights is not the discussion. Perhaps it's the ease as to which guns, let alone, military power weaponry can be purchased by a civilian. It takes longer and is harder to get a credit card approval than it is to purchase a gun. My eyes need checked and I need to study and pass a test before I can drive. Gun purchasing protocol and requisites? Too easy.

Either way, it takes a total emotional disconnect to conceive, let alone, execute such a cold, heartless act. Perhaps that's where the answer begins; by minimizing the emotional reasons that drive such acts.

The reason behind such acts, I believe, is simple! MORE LOVE. I choose love! MORE MEANINGFUL HUMAN CONNECTION. Finding connections in this fast-paced disconnected world is the big challenge. 

We all need LOVE! Love, and all other primordial emotional needs when denied or lacking, can fuel resentment, hate, anger and evil. Without love and all that the word encompasses (respect, compassion, empathy... ), life gets dark, ugly and painful. 

There is a Southern African tribe called, The Babembe, who have a wonderful practice to resolve the issue of a person doing wrong or evil. They believe that those who do wrong are hurt souls and lack the fundamental emotional needs that drive good human behavior. They gather as a village and place the "bad person" in the center and spend days telling that person of all the wonderful and good things they are and have done. They share LOVE because an act of evil is considered to be a cry for help. This world needs help and it's crying out loud!

Answering that cry for help starts with ourselves. We have a humanitarian responsibility to share a little more love, to be a little more empathetic, compassionate and respectful of our differences and our emotional needs. The world is starving for more love, understanding, connection and forgiveness.

My love and condolences to all those who lost loved ones, and to those who were on-sight and experienced such horror. My gratitude to the heroes, and the Vegas and world community for spectacularly coming together by focusing on what brings us together.

If this blog was of any value, please share. #VEGAS STRONG!

THANK YOU

Vital Germaine

Top-Selling Author of: FLYING WITHOUT A NET

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The Art of Disruption: best practices for introducing change.

in·no·va·tion

/ˌinəˈvāSH(ə)n

noun

the action or process of innovating.

How does one navigate the minefield of disruption? There are 5 simple and strategic steps.

Change is one of the hardest things for humans to embrace. We are, for the most part, afraid of change and avoid it to our own personal or business detriment. Without transformation or adaptation, companies can neither remain relevant nor successfully navigate changing business climates.  

1. PREPARATION: The process begins by establishing an innovation identity whereby idea sharing, growth and innovation is encouraged if not expected. Strong leaders have the ability to sculpt a culture into a masterpiece that inspires action and innovation. Changing a cultural mindset doesn't happen naturally. It takes careful planning and preparation. It takes focused, strategic, consistent and intentional implementation strategies… that includes training and a designing an on-boarding process that identifies the right people to fit within your culture. Invest!

2. EMPOWERMENT: Leadership must listen with an open mind to new ideas and be willing to take the risk of incorporating those ideas. Idea sharing should be an efficient and streamlined process with minimal bureaucratic pain points along the way. Remove the communication clutter. Create a superhighway that connects the workforce to executive leadership. Delete the phrase, great idea but, when ideas are shared in meetings! Reframe the approach to idea sharing with “yes... AND. The phrase “yes and”, is a stable and promising lego block from which everything and anything can be designed and built. Yes… AND, in improv comedy and theatre axiom. YES, allow the idea to be heard, YES, plant the seed, YES water it... AND... nurture it with consideration and experimentation, patience and sunshine. Great leaders  empower by listening and inviting others to the “big table.”

3. COMMUNICATION: Once new ideas have been shared, evaluated and agreed upon (or not), leadership must now clearly communicated those ideas across the system. The implementation strategy and process must be understood and reinforced consistently to become effective. What are the changes?  When and how will the changes be deployed? How will it impact the company?

There is nothing more paralyzing to employees than being left in the dark about the future. Let them know how the disruption will impact their lives. Former presidential speechwriter, James Humes says, "The art of communication is the language of leadership." - LEARN MORE

Oh, I almost forgot. What’s in it for the employees? Also, allow failure to be a part of the journey void of reprimand… accountability, yes… reprimand, NO! If people are afraid to try and fail, there will be limited innovation.

4. ACTION PLAN: Once leadership has decided on the new or revised vision or mission, it is crucial to create an effective and concise action plan. Without the solid foundation of a well crafted roadmap, the odds of failure increase exponentially. Your team members will feel lost, fearful, confused and disengaged if the new objectives are blurred. If communication of your action plan is a slow and cluttered process, then its purpose is almost defeated before it began. 

5. TRAINING: Successful companies invest in their employees  through trainings to optimize the results of new ideas. Without training, it will be difficult for your team to jump on board and run to the end-zone for a game-winning touch-down. Set your team up for success. Make it clear that the training or change is not just for the benefit of the company. Team members must have a sense of personal gain too. That’s where the empowerment factor plays a huge role.

6. CONFIDENCE: Along that precarious journey of organizational disruption, your team must feel confident on the following 3 levels.

1. Your employees must have confidence in their leaders, confidence in the objectives and in the action plan.

2. They must have assurance that initial failure is viewed as a stepping stone to success and not as a goodbye and thank you for your services type of outcome. If your on-boarding process is effective, you will have hired the right people... let them know you have full confidence in their abilities. Set them free and empower them to become their best selves by getting out of their way.

3. Provide them resources and support when needed.

Disruption is not easy, but the process doesn't have to be painful, slow and filled with resistance. Leverage the tools. Become tomorrow's leader.

AT ENGAGE we specialize in transformational leadership. Our process is relevant, actionable and memorable.

As president of ENGAGE, I'd love to engage your team and initiate a cultural paradigm shift that inspires innovation and elevates market relevance. Learn more about our INNOVATION MINDSET virtual learning experience.

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Sincerely, Vital Germaine

7 Leadership Best Practices Guaranteed to Strengthen your Brand

Most would agree that strength of leadership is a key component to establishing successful cultural platforms  and organizational fortitude.  Companies can no longer rely on product alone to establish and maintain their piece of market share.

Having great leaders with strong communication skills will set your brand apart, and above the competition.

Leadership is the blood that runs through the veins of your culture. Investing in finding the right leaders who inspire greatness is crucial.  Providing them with relevant and actionable tools and training will guaranty exceptional Customer Experiences with a high ROI.

Take the time to evaluate your leadership  strength and adjust accordingly by implementing these 7 leadership qualities. They are all dependent on strong, clear, concise and effective communication.

1. Show respect

2. Give appreciation

3. Have empathy and compassion

4. Train those you lead to become leaders

5. Lead to empower, and not for power

6. Delegate and trust

7. Love not fear

Jack Zenger writes a great article for FORBES, that demonstrates the direct correlation between great leaders communication and profits.

The graph below shows the impact of extraordinary leaders on the bottom line of the organization. The vertical axis shows total net income as $1.2M in losses for the bottom 10% of leaders, $2.4M for the middle 80%, and nearly $4.5M in gains for the top 10%. In summary, poor leaders lost money; good leaders made profit; and extraordinary leaders more than doubled the company’s profits in comparison to the other 90%!

To do a deep dive into modern leadership and how to inspire high performance read the book INNOVATION MINDSET (formerly titled Imagination Will Take You Everywhere).

This revised edition has new content including strategic action steps. Get your copy today.

AT ENGAGE WE BUILD HAPPIER TEAMS AND TRANSFORM CULTURES by strengthening leadership. We'd love to engage your team and initiate a cultural paradigm shift that will result in increased profits and elevated Customer Experiences.

CONTACT US TODAY FOR A PROPOSAL.

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Thank you for reading. If this blog was of value, please feel welcome to copy, borrow and share.

Vital Germaine

A Leadership Must-To Guide to Optimize Your Team's Impact.

As leaders, we have the responsibility, the privilege and the challenge of elevating those around us whom we influence. How do we optimize the value of our team players?  

That journey begins by hiring the right people. What happens next is the defining factor. By implementing this simple strategy you'll experience a significant increase in productivity, efficiency, contribution and retention.

The most effective way to empower your team or employees is to allow them to flex their creativity and decision-making muscles. Too often we tell our team how, when and what to do. That's exactly what we shouldn't do. Instead, invite them to express their ideas and solutions. Set them free to risk and fail.

That freedom will inspire the genius you're looking for that will take your company to the next level. Leverage optimum impact by making this philosophy a part of your cultural and corporate identity. 

Your team will feel more vested in any project if they created it. If they feel they just not only created it, but also own it, they will carry the additional responsibility and nurture the project like their own baby, filled with pride, love, understanding, joy, commitment, and fulfillment. 

As a former Cirque du Soleil performer and team captain I witnessed and experienced the value of getting out of the way. It pays high dividends to empower team players by setting them free. Dare to hand over the keys.

Show how much you value and trust your team by completely getting out of their way. Empower them with autonomy and liberty (void  of anarchy and chaos).

"It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do." -  Steve Jobs

Nonetheless, make sure to provide your players with the appropriate environment, support, resources and tools to establish and instill confident. Let them know you are available if needed. Set them up for success.

AT ENGAGE WE BUILD HAPPIER MORE FORWARD-THINKING TEAMS AND TRANSFORM CULTURES. We'd love to engage your team and initiate a cultural paradigm shift that will result in increased profits and elevated Customer Experiences.

BOOK US TODAY.

Thank you for reading. If this blog was of value, please feel welcome to copy, borrow and share.

The #1 tool to prevent employees from leaving

Whenever there is high employee turn over, it means they are not happy… disengaged. The simple answer to employee disengagement is, employee unhappiness. The stats are insane. Read about them.

Have you designed and created a culture in which employees feel valued? Do they experience a sense of purpose? If not, they will be secretly (or overtly disgruntled)… they may even leave one day. And that costs you time and money! Meanwhile, your customers become disgruntled and jump ship due to poor customer service or a general failure to deliver on the brand promise.

Unhappy cultures start and end with leadership.

As a former Cirque du Soleil performer, team captain, and recently as a consultant and facilitator for CIRQUE SPARK sessions (a new team development program), I learned many invaluable cultural lessons on how to inspire, empower and engage team members.

Your culture must be clearly defined, communicated and understood through your vision, mission, strategy and action plans. Keep it simple and evident. Make it diverse. Then honor it through actions and behavior. Don’t rely on words to drive your culture.

Cirque's cultural philosophy was to drive innovation and excellence by constantly challenging their team members, but also themselves as a brand to optimize Customer Experiences. As performers, we were challenged. Which meant we were continually engaged. Our ideas were heard, though not always implemented. This gave us a sense of value.

Without being challenged at work, employees tend to stagnate, they become complacent - they get bored. They leave. And if that’s not the reason, then one of your leaders (bosses), is toxic.

The challenge at Cirque was not in the form of competition (though that, too was healthy), but rather by challenging us as individuals, as a team. They invited us to not only find the solution, but to become the solution. 

We are invited and allowed to flex our creativity and decision-making muscles. By listening and building on our ideas, we felt a sense of ownership. Ownership brings great satisfaction. They provided an environment and tools filled with opportunities for experimentation, learning and growth.

The challenge cannot be overwhelming, intimidating or simply beyond the potential of your team members, less initiate fight, flight or freeze response. Yet they must be pushed beyond their comfort zones to feel alive and engaged.

There are multiple tools that Cirque implemented to keep us engaged. It ltimately it came down to one building block. Design and create a culture that is happy… working for them was not perfect, but we were happy and fulfilled for the most part. And that is the differentiator regarding employee engagement and loyalty. It’s that simple.

It takes a small minority to begin the disengagement cancer. In the book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell talks about the “pandemic” phenomenon. He argues that one of three reasons for a “tipping point” is what he calls, “The Law of the few”. The other 2 principals he talks about that contribute to a tipping point are:

The Stickiness Factor. Is the message being sent with impact? If you allow one bad employee to stick around or get away with stuff, the message spreads like wild fire and infects others with great consequence.

The Power of Context. The example that he gives is when bystanders do nothing at the scene of an accident, they will all do nothing. If one helps, then others follow.

AT ENGAGE Teams 360, we build happier teams. We transform cultures. We approach leadership in different and innovative ways. Why do we focus on employee happiness? Because according to Gallup, 1 in 2 employees are unhappy. Disgruntled employees cost the US economy over $400 BILLION annually. That is a very SAD statistic.

We'd love to engage your team and initiate a cultural paradigm shift that will result in increased profits and elevated Customer Experiences. CONTACT US TODAY FOR A PROPOSAL.

SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Thank you for reading. If this blog was of value, please feel welcome to copy, borrow and share.

Vital Germaine

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