Traci Scherck: Why do you stay in your current job at your current employer.

Traci Scherck: This is one of those key questions that has been asked so many times over the last year, as we talked about the great resignation, the great retention and all the things that surround that.

Traci Scherck: Welcome to the talent optimization podcast my name is Tracy sherck and today we’re really going to be digging into this concept of.

Traci Scherck: What inspires us to stay in our current organization we’re going to look at some of the data around it and key framework that we use when we’re talking with leaders inside of organizations.

Traci Scherck: about how do we create an environment that inspires individuals to stay.

Traci Scherck: And this will really set us up for the next two weeks next week, we have the HR director.

Traci Scherck: That was integral in changing the culture inside of an organization, along with her leadership team, then the following week we’ll have an employee inside of that organization that actually left and came back.

Traci Scherck: sharing a little bit about why he left why he came back and what keeps him engaged in his specific work every single day so with that let’s go ahead and dig in.

Traci Scherck: So here’s a hint right and that is there are four key drivers.

Traci Scherck: To individuals being inspired in their work, and that is the job individuals have a fit to the role, so we are putting a round peg into a round hole and a square peg into a square hole right.

Traci Scherck: We are not putting a round peg into a square hole the next is the manager, how is that manager inspiring us.

Traci Scherck: I don’t know about you, but the jobs that I loved and wanted to stay in for quite some time, where the jobs were that manager saw me bigger than I saw myself.

Traci Scherck: I had trust with that manager and that manager had trust with me now as soon as that manager changed, you know what everything changed with that sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

Traci Scherck: The third driver that we have to inspiring people to perform is really what is that team how have we created that team.

Traci Scherck: So that we have the right team together to really support each other and build each other up.

Traci Scherck: every single one of us has amazing amazing strengths and we put a team together so that we are playing to each other’s strengths right, so your weaknesses my strengths and my weaknesses your strengths guess what.

Traci Scherck: We can divide and conquer those things to really move items forward so much faster and then the next is the organization what is that organization that culture that we’re working in.

Traci Scherck: And this is key, we have organizations that we work with we are you know what the role is amazing, the managers are amazing the teams are amazing.

Traci Scherck: But the organizational culture is dragging everything else down so when we’re inspiring people to perform, we need to take a look at these four key drivers in order to really do that.

Traci Scherck: You know, and our goal today and every week when you listen to our podcast is that there is one thing that kind of TRIPS that light bulb inside your head right.

Traci Scherck: That you can easily implement, and that makes your life better the life of your employees in your organization better, so I hope that you find that today, and I trust that you will.

Traci Scherck: As we dig throughout this one of the things that I do want to point out is, if you look and say hey I want to know more about these four kind of driving factors here.

Traci Scherck: We do have a free assessment that you can take called the predictive index, and this looks at who you are once you know who you are we can match that to what the job needs what the team needs and what the organization needs so.

Traci Scherck: we’re talking about how we inspire individuals to performance so often, that is, specifically, measured through engagement.

Traci Scherck: And we’ve talked in the past about what engagement is, and I just want to do a quick reminder before we dive in today.

Traci Scherck: So you got some giants right so quantum workplace defines engagement as the strength of the mental and emotional connection employees feel towards their places of work.

Traci Scherck: Gallup defines engagement as engaged employees are those who are involved in enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace.

Traci Scherck: willis towers Watson states engagement is employees willingness and ability to contribute to the company’s success.

Traci Scherck: And Hewitt states that employee engagement is a level of an employee’s psychological investment in the organization.

Traci Scherck: And what we see so often here at employee are here at elevated healing consulting is engagement is that does that difference between the want to curve and the have to curve right.

Traci Scherck: So if you have employees coming to work because they have to for a paycheck right guess what.

Traci Scherck: The pay is not necessarily a driver or a motivator right, that is something that individuals have to have what we’re looking at when we inspire people to perform.

Traci Scherck: Is were looking at those things that engage them that light them up the trust that, being able to be fulfilled in our work.

Traci Scherck: The ability to make an impact in those individuals that they’re serving and those clients that they’re serving and that gets us to the want to curve.

Traci Scherck: When we put a team together or that team is so committed to each other, because we know that one plus one doesn’t equal to necessarily in the situation it’s 11 right, and when we look at that.

Traci Scherck: We see oh my gosh we put this team together and they are lifting every other single person up and that is where we see engagement so as we look at some trends.

Traci Scherck: SHRM in 2017 really talked about the biggest driver and engagement was successful respectful treatment of all employees at all levels.

Traci Scherck: followed by compensation trust with the manager and the leadership team then feeling safe in your work environment and the ability to use skills and abilities in your work.

Traci Scherck: So right there guess what we just cover those four drivers of engagement and how we inspire individuals, which was the organization, the manager the team and fit to a role within the job.

Traci Scherck: So when we look at the impact of an individual being engaged versus an individual being disengaged does this specifically matter.

Traci Scherck: And one of the things that I love about SHRMs they will put out these fancy little charts and they have a fancy little chart on engage behaviors versus disengaged behaviors so let’s look at them, the engaged employee.

Traci Scherck: Has a behavior of being optimistic and the disengaged employee has a behavior being pessimistic right there absolute opposites so.

Traci Scherck: we’re also looking at that and saying what other behaviors are there so i’m just going to read the list of engage that i’ll read the list of disengaged here.

Traci Scherck: engaged you’re optimistic their team oriented there they go above and beyond, they are solution oriented their selfless they show a passion for learning.

Traci Scherck: And they pass along credit, but they accept the blame that comes to them individuals that are disengaged typically.

Traci Scherck: are afraid of something there’s some sort of fear that they’re trying to protect right, and this is how those drives show up in the behaviors.

Traci Scherck: That pessimistic self centered high absenteeism negative attitude egocentric they focus on monetary worth.

Traci Scherck: And they accept credit, but they pass along the blame to others, so when we look at this and we say hey, how do we inspire others.

Traci Scherck: One of the first things to look at as ourselves and say hey are we engaged in our work.

Traci Scherck: As the executives running your organizations, you know the business owners listening in today, and as the HR professionals I first and foremost, want to say where do you see yourself in this specific last.

Traci Scherck: Do your do you see yourself on the engaged side, or do you see yourself on the disengaged side because guess what you are looked up to.

Traci Scherck: You are replicated and you’re seen as leaders inside of your organization.

Traci Scherck: Yes, i’m talking to you the HR assistant who’s been in your role for six weeks right you’re still in a seat inside the organization that you are seen as a leader.

Traci Scherck: And this goes, all the way up to the business owner and to the CEO and how we show up to work every day has a significant impact on those around us and this impacts guess what organizational culture.

Traci Scherck: So with That being said, when we’re inspiring folks to perform when we are looking at how our individuals engaged in their work because guess what.

Traci Scherck: If you’re not engaged in our work we’re probably not going to hit the business outcomes that our organizations need and that our clients expect.

Traci Scherck: So we really need to take a look at this and say where are we in all of this, and once we know where we are firmly seated, we can say hey what do I need to change for me.

Traci Scherck: So that we can change this for the entire organization if needed.

Traci Scherck: And the flip side of this is what’s going really well and let’s celebrate that so often we’re focused on the negative things that aren’t going well, that we’re not celebrating the things that are going well.

Traci Scherck: If you have a team in your organization that is clicking on all cylinders thank them for that I will tell you.

Traci Scherck: That we have a team together inside of elevated talent, right now, that is clicking and it’s amazing what we can get done so, and how we’re serving our clients to such a high level so with That being said, celebrate those successes.

Traci Scherck: And now let’s do a circle back around to those four drivers that we talked about at the beginning.

Traci Scherck: And that is as we look at our organization, do we have the right people in the right seats in this is the alignment to the job.

Traci Scherck: And a lot of times when we chat with clients and prospects in organizations we’re specifically looking at something called a fit gap analysis.

Traci Scherck: Who is a fit to their role who’s not a fit to their role and not necessarily a bad thing if they’re not a fit to their role.

Traci Scherck: But what are those slight changes that can potentially be made that are going to best serve the organization and best serve the individuals inside of that specific role.

Traci Scherck: The next is hey how are your leaders your managers supporting their direct reports.

Traci Scherck: And guess what management is not a skill that we you know are born with leadership is not a skill that we are born with it is something that is learned and.

Traci Scherck: Are you supporting your managers to really lead their staff, the way they need to be led right this distinction between the platinum rule and the golden rule.

Traci Scherck: The golden rule treat others the way you want to be treated and the platinum roles treat others the way they want to be treated.

Traci Scherck: The way I want to be managed may not improbably is not the way my manager wants to be managed or needs to be managed.

Traci Scherck: So it’s something we really have to take a close look at and say hey what we need to do with us and you know what it doesn’t necessarily have to be hard, especially when you have an easy button.

Traci Scherck: where you can look at this and say ah, this is what this person needs and it’s as simple as asking them what is it that they need, and then, when you’re having your monthly conversations.

Traci Scherck: To follow up and say all right, how am I doing leading you the way you need to be like here’s things went really well this month here’s some things that maybe didn’t go so well right.

Traci Scherck: Because guess what good leadership is not being pollyanna it’s not being positive all the time it’s naming what is so and loving on people so much that they know exactly where they stand and.

Traci Scherck: How to move forward in a motivating way so that they can meet their highest potential and so can you as their leader and the organization.

Traci Scherck: So, and then we’re going to talk about the team, yes, what as a team, we can succeed or we can fail if we’re all competing against each other.

Traci Scherck: And you know what happens when we start competing against each other is we start poking at weakness after weakness after weakness or no longer playing to our strengths.

Traci Scherck: Nobody wants to work in that environment I don’t want to get up and walk into that environment and you want to know what the litmus test for that is.

Traci Scherck: How do you feel on a Sunday afternoon right, how do you feel on a Sunday afternoon, do you have knots in your stomach about going to work, the next day, or you like, yes, we get to accomplish something amazing this week and I can’t wait right so.

Traci Scherck: ask that question to your staff they’re probably not going to tell you an honest answer if they do have knots in their stomach but at least you’re.

Traci Scherck: dipping into in having the conversation out in the open about what do you need to be successful and what does that look like, how do we support each other as a team.

Traci Scherck: Because when we have the right team in place guess what the team rises each other up much stronger than we can do individually on our own.

Traci Scherck: And then we have the organization as a whole, and these are essentially the the culture that culture that we’re creating where the organizations, having how we’re holding individuals accountable or not right.

Traci Scherck: And Bernie Brown has been chatting with us for a couple years now on authenticity and creating spaces, where we have a strong back and a soft front.

Traci Scherck: And what that really means is as leaders, we need to be strong in what it is that needs to happen, but we need to be authentic and heart centered as far as how we connect with others, how we motivate them.

Traci Scherck: and sharing our stories right because guess what when we share ourselves with others it’s something that they want in need and.

Traci Scherck: It shows that there’s some trust there that we can build and others right ways to share things others runway is right.

Traci Scherck: If you’re going to share something vulnerable make sure you’re all the way through it first you’re not sharing something that you’re completely in the middle of and still have some.

Traci Scherck: Negative energy around right, but when you can share those stories of how you work through something and what you learned from that you motivate others because guess what life is 50 50.

Traci Scherck: it’s not always fantastic but it’s not always crappy either.

Traci Scherck: And I know you’re going to walk into people that their life seems to be you know, a crap casting show 100% of the time it’s not unless they choose, for it to be.

Traci Scherck: You know in but life’s not perfect, all the time either, and ensuring that we can see that, especially at work and really support each other.

Traci Scherck: In asking the question as to what do you really need right now, because we never know what’s going on with another person right, I had a conversation with a really good friend this week.

Traci Scherck: Who shared with me some things that she’s going through and guess what they’re kind of craptastic but.

Traci Scherck: We were able to have a conversation and kind of just say hey whatever you mean just call I don’t care what it is we can watch Disney movies and drink wine, we can laugh, we can do whatever right.

Traci Scherck: And so often it is the same thing in the workplace, when you have that strong relationship on a team because you’re all rallying for each other and you’re doggedly committed to meeting those business outcomes.

Traci Scherck: You know as the pandemic has shown us over the last year, two years, however long it’s been.

Traci Scherck: You know we’ve really seen the cats come across the screen, we know which cats left the screen right which love the zoom screen and we know the kiddos and that the type of cereal that they love to eat.

Traci Scherck: All the things we didn’t know before we saw the working conditions of some of our staff they’re like Oh, my goodness, I want those cabinets and the others are like, how can I help what you need with.

Traci Scherck: With still showing them the empathy and when they have pride in something that happened at home guess what you have pride in that too.

Traci Scherck: So guess what life and work as integrated you know and as my coach would say it’s all the same pot of soup so as leaders as leaders, we have an obligation to inspire.

Traci Scherck: and telling those personal stories helps lead to more trusting relationships, the research tracks three key drivers of trust its authenticity logic and empathy and we tend to trust people who believe.

Traci Scherck: are acting as their real selves and demos and demonstrating empathy increasing realness and humanity, by sharing personal stories is one powerful way to build trust, and this is a quote from Harvard Business Review article.

Traci Scherck: And it was from Gia Store and I love that because it’s essentially sharing and showing that those personal stories as leaders.

Traci Scherck: guess what they help to motivate the staff that we’re working with and so with that i’m.

Traci Scherck: There are a couple things I just want to chat about what that storytelling right.

Traci Scherck: And there’s a very specific recipe to that I always want you to leave these podcasts with a couple kind of big.

Traci Scherck: Aha as right the light bulb went off and if you’ve had any of those so far, you know send me an email tell me about it reach out put it on the show notes right.

Traci Scherck: or put it on the comments underneath our our podcast so there’s there’s kind of a recipe to this right, you want to cultivate your top stories about failure because stories of failure, help us relate normalize setbacks and Create intimacy because we can connect with another person.

Traci Scherck: We want to incorporate vulnerability in real time, how do you do this, you say hey my feeling about this is.

Traci Scherck: It feels scary to share this but I hesitated to bring this forward because right, and then you can start to build that connection.

Traci Scherck: And then you want to share what’s on your mind what’s going on.

Traci Scherck: So something that I want to share with each of you as you look at how do you engage staff inside your organization is I didn’t always do this well and there’s times, where I still don’t do it well right.

Traci Scherck: but what I have found is when I am completely stressed out and moving way way way way way too fast.

Traci Scherck: I tend to bulldoze those individuals that are on my team are around me and I missed deadlines right but here’s the deal, what I have learned is that when I can.

Traci Scherck: prioritize it asked my staff and say hey, this is what I need help with they are always willing to do so.

Traci Scherck: And when we create that culture inside of our organization it sends a message that that’s Okay, for them to do it too.

Traci Scherck: And one of the things that we’ve done over the last couple of months is we’ve set out our.

Traci Scherck: Our weekly meetings that specifically start in ground ourselves in what our core values, how did that show up in our day to day working this week with our clients and with each other.

Traci Scherck: You know what’s what’s a client curveball that shut up that we just didn’t know how to handle and what are the thoughts from those around the room where are we at what capacity.

Traci Scherck: Who needs some support, who has some capacity that they’re willing to lend that support and then, how do we all, win and how do we celebrate those wins right so Those are some of the things that we’re working on that are really working to engage staff.

Traci Scherck: and ensure that we’re providing that highest level outcome.

Traci Scherck: So, as we start to kind of land, the plane here what’s a key actionable takeaway for our executives listening, I really hope that you take away that authenticity.

Traci Scherck: And being authentic with your staff about what’s going on what’s needed in motivating in a way that is that that connection.

Traci Scherck: And then for HR you know you want to be real and you want to be mission driven go back to your core values.

Traci Scherck: And then, what specifically impacts engagement because there’s some things that have a much stronger impact to engagement and others, and it specifically goes back to our individuals in the right role.

Traci Scherck: Are they working with a manager that inspires them, and this is a two way street right.

Traci Scherck: Do we have the right teams together to accomplish our goals and then is our organization aligned with the individual values.

Traci Scherck: So, now that we’ve laid that groundwork, we want to hear you know some stories about how this was put into action, so please come back and join us next week, where we talk with.

Traci Scherck: The HR director with in what Amwood and then the following week we will talk with an employee within what homes about how they have implemented this.

Traci Scherck: And really built something pretty amazing so April and Dave have something that I think each of you will be able to hear in a way to say ah.

Traci Scherck: Now this framework that we’ve seen, we can see how it works inside of an organization so with that Thank you so much for joining us and cannot wait to see you back next week, I hope you have a great week thanks so much.