A Common Overlooked Organizational Growth Opportunity with Employees

What drives, inspires and motivates team members to reach higher and hit the target?

No, I mean really, what is their deepest, most defining/preserving emotional and psychological need?

It is something organizations often ignore or forget to invest in.

I’ve spent the best part of the last ten years delivering employee trainings for such companies as United Airlines and BMW. The focus has been on elevating KPIs (Key Performance Indexes) or OKR’s (Objective Key Results), culture, competencies, customer service, efficiency and productivity (which are great), and reinforcing company core values. The ultimate short-term goals are”always” elevating profits and brand strength.

Let’s take a quick look into standard anatomy of the OKR framework. See image below.

ANATOMY OF THE OKR FRAMEWORK

OBJECTIVES: goals that inspire and set direction (where do I need to go?)

KEY RESULTS: steps that measure progress toward a goal (how do I know I’m getting there?)

INITIATIVES: tasks required to drive progress of key results (what will I do to get there?)

These types of organizational frameworks/trainings bring incredible value. HOWEVER…

Applying this same framework to individual and personalized growth is the long-term differentiator. See image below, in particular the STAR - add personal objectives .

Investing in an employees’ personal development/objectives makes them better human beings. Good human beings are good employees. By identifying, recognizing and investing in individuality (personal aspirations/needs/expectations), and helping team members understand the essence of who they are as individuals is a long-term win-win investment.

The best leaders not only train for growth, they inspire growth!

One of the best ways to inspire any human is to SEE them. Actually “seeing” somebody is potentially the highest form of respect we can give. This elevates and empowers people to reach higher.

Give them the tools to not only learn and understand company core values, but also identify and understand their own core values. Help them see who they are themselves and how as individuals they can best fit and contribute to the company vision and mission. Help the become the best version of themselves not just the best employee. Who are THEY? What do they really WANT? What do they NEED?

Employees are rarely driven by money alone. It’s deeper than that. Money is only a conduit to attain what is truly desired and needed. The true answer to self-actualization (Maslo’s hierarchy of needs) lies deeper than money, promotion or remote work (flexibility).

Help team members have the confidence to discover themselves and know themselves. It's scary to look thyself in the eyes until you see your own soul for all its glories and fears. Down there, deeply hidden in the foundations of true their character lies the answer to who they really are and who/what they really want to be. Help them get their and they will reach higher.

It might take them and the organization a minute to truly SEE themselves! It might take years for them to discover the true self, but the journey is worth it. The investment in personal development in the workplace pays high dividends.

The reflection they will see, the self awareness they will develop, will connect them to a strong sense of purpose. Think Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why.” If that purpose aligns with your core values, vision and mission, then you have a star employee whose productivity and efficiency will soar. That mindset is contagious. It INSPIRES.

The better we know ourselves, the better we can optimize our lives. The better we can optimize our own lives, the more value we can bring to the lives of others.

In Chapter 20 of my book, THINK LIKE AN ARTIST, I share a very impactful self-discovery activity to truly give the individual a starting point to dig deeper into who they are and what drives them.

Who are you really?

My other creativity book titled, INNOVATION MINDSET is the business/leadership equivalent of THINK LIKE AN ARTIST. Request more information about my signature creativity workshop/keynote. At ENGAGE Teams 360, we love to inspire and empower through our highly interactive, fun, informative and transformational content.

Vital Germaine,

President ENGAGE Teams 360

3 Simple Steps to Inspiring and Achieving Greatness

Many pursue and desire greatness but don't know how to achieve it or inspire it. Fortunately, through years of experience and extensive research, ENGAGE has created relevant and meaningful guidelines or tricks, approaches, attitudes and mindsets that can enthuse, activate, and enable extraordinary results on a personal and/or professional level. 

There is no quick fix, singular formula, pill or overnight solution to inspiring or achieving greatness. It is a process a never-ending pursuit that can be attained more easily than one thinks.

At ENGAGE, we have broken down the process into to 3 simple to follow steps listed below.  We call them: FUEL - AMMUNITION – TOOLS (F.A.T)

Establishing the “why” behind any pursuit or goal, and understanding the purpose and meaning is paramount. The more significant, expansive and encompassing your “why” is, and the greater its positive and relevant impact is on others, the easier it becomes to realize. We are always more driven by a cause that is greater than ourselves.

Here are the 3 SIMPLE STEPS (F.A.T).

1. FUEL

• Determination (drive, resilience, persistence)
• Courage (inner strength)
• Happiness (joy, love, humor and gratitude)
• Belief (conviction, confidence)
• Passion (desire, determination, feelings
• Patience (endurance)
• Respect (appreciation, acknowledgment, recognition

2. AMMUNITION

• Meaning (significance)
• Sense of Purpose (the why, the motivation, objective)
• Social Relevance (who benefits)

3. TOOLS

• Creativity Ingenuity (envisioning, trying new possibilities)
• Awareness (self awareness and of our environment/people)
• Childlike Approach (the love of exploration and discovery)
• Adaptable Perspective (willing to change)
• Positive Outlook (yes or why not)
• Willingness to fail (without risk there is little reward)
• Connectedness (egoless, authenticity, empathy) 

Contact ENGAGE today and allow us to inspire your team to greatness.

• www.ENGAGEteams.com
• Vital@ENGAGEteams.com
• 702.523 1792

If this post has been of benefit to you, please feel welcome to borrow, copy and share. Thank you, Vital Germaine

How to improve your communication skills.

COMMUNICATION comes in many forms. As leaders, we must develop an acute sensibility to the non-apparent messages that humans send. We must listen, not only with our ears, but our eyes, our hearts, hair follicles, our noses and our intuition.

We must develop the ability to speak and be heard without words. Be understood without gestures. We must pay attention to the nuances of expression on all levels.

Albert Merhabian illustrated this best when he stated that only 7% of our communication is actually through words. The remaining 93% is non-verbal!

All the clues, skills and solutions of relevant and clear communication lie within our awareness and sensitivity to ourselves and the external world (Emotional Intelligence) - it opens doors to connectivity and increased levels of company growth and success. Poor communication can lead to disasters and easily avoidable errors and conflicts.

The more aware we are, the better and more effectively we can send and receive messages.

To further improve your communication skills, always place yourself in the shoes of the receiver, as their perspective might not align with yours. And finally, if not most importantly, it is the responsibility of the communicator to make sure clear and correct communication has been established. The best way to achieve this is by asking the receiver to clearly communicate back what they have understood, bringing everybody on the same page. 

Become a more confident communicator

If this blog was of value, please feel welcome to borrow and/or share. 

THANK YOU, Vital Germaine

HAPPY MINDSET_RICHER LIVING

Actively disengaged employees cost the US economy $500 billion annually, simply because they are not happy!

• Is your company culture, or your leadership, remotely contributing to this statistic?

• Are you inspiring greatness, peak performance, collaboration and happiness from your employees.

• Is your team as engaged as they should or could be?

The mental wellness of your work force and company culture has such profound effects on your company's bottom line.  It's simple!  When we’re happy, we’re simply better. We’re better leaders, better lovers, better parents, employees, friends… better everything.

Have you ever noticed that when you are happy, things fall into a place a little easier: the sky's a little bluer. You don't notice all the red lights on the way to work - in fact, there are no red lights. When our mindset is positive, we have more clarity, more energy, more focus and of course more confidence. WE BECOME BETTER LEADERS... BETTER HUMAN BEINGS.

The math behind a happier mindset. Happy, forward thinking companies are up to %20 more profitable according to Gallup.  

There is sadly not enough happiness in the workplace.

According to a Gallup, who surveyed 25 million employees in a 189 different countries, to determine employee satisfaction and engagement, concluded that 1 in 2 employees are not happy at work! 

By inspiring relevant paradigm shifts within yourself as well as your company culture, these "unhappy" facts can be turned around very easily. The change will stimulate personal and professional growth and benefits.

On a spiritual level, one could say HAPPINESS is a question of vibrating at a higher frequency. On a chemical or scientific level, it's about stimulating the production of key hormones like, Serotonin, Oxytocin and my favorite, Phenylathamine (chocolate!!!).  Be it spiritual or scientific, happiness is in part due to mindset, lifestyle, attitude and perspective. It's the result of a series of choices; but there is more than that (for another blog).

Is your leadership stimulating happiness and satisfaction in your team, thus maximizing their contribution and impact to the relevance and growth your company (or your own life)? If so, SMILE and be happy - stay calm and carry on :)

If this blog was of value, please feel welcome to borrow and/or share. 

THANK YOU.

Adaptability and $$$$ for your business

Every successful business needs innovation in order to grow and compete in todays faster than ever, changing business climate. Creativity provides a platform upon which to envision tomorrow'g great ideas – be it developing a new and memorable sensory experience for your clients, or identifying new markets, to implementing innovative marketing and sales strategies, or creating defining products that will separate you from your competitors.

The challenge with creativity is that people often claim to have none,  yet we are all creative! The common confusion is people are not artistic so they claim to not be creative. You don't need to be artistic in order to be creative. However, business needs creativity and a workforce invited to explore, experiment, fail, discover and eventually achieve new heights. 

According to Gallup, forward thinking companies that adapt to trends and implement new approaches, stimulating paradigm shifts, experience on average 20% higher profits.

Are you stimulating sales, broadening your business perspective and promoting growth by inspiring innovation and creativity as a part of your corporate culture?