Is Employee Engagement a Competitive Advantage?
Check out a wonderful column in today’s The New York Times written by one of my favorite journalists, Joe Nocera. The column is entitled, “The Sinatra of Southwest Feels the Love.” In it Nocera contrasts the sober atmosphere at American Airlines annual meeting in Dallas this last Wednesday morning to the lovefest at Southwest Airlines annual meeting that commenced a couple hours later across town. The article focuses on Southwest’s co-founder Herb Kelleher and his belief that treating your employees well provides a competitive edge. Nocera shares his observations about Kelleher and explores other possible reasons for Southwest’s success. Like everything Nocera writes, it’s an enjoyable read with thought-provoking observations and insight.
Michael Lee Stallard is the President of
Michael - I found you by way of Stephen Hopson’s Adversity University Blog (see his comments) and have read your manifesto. It looks like we have a common passion for connection.
As I was sharing with Stephen, the company he and I both worked for, Merrill Lynch, gave me the green lights to pilot a program to help boost morale. It was called “Wisdom for the Ages” using a talking stick in group discussions.
I wanted to find a way to connect and get to know one another since we give a big chuck of our lives to work (for me it was 4 hrs/day commuting plus 8 hrs time worked).
I had the feeling that many people that I worked with had stories to tell and even as hard as they tried to leave their personal lives at home there were times when they couldn’t. If we knew one another well enough we could help by at least listening and by that feel valued and maybe feel that at least they were heard.
It was a 4-part series meaning that if you signed up you needed to know it was for all 4 meetings.
Each part had a theme and I prepared questions and added some excerpts from tapes and poems.
You checked your titles at the door and came as one human to another and shared your stories and your beliefs. We sat in a circle and passed the talking stick around as a tool for discussion. I wanted to create a safe place.
It was interesting to get the different perspectives from a regular employee versus a manager. For example, not many regular employees really heard from a manager what they felt when they had to fire someone.
The 4 parts were: Intro/Trust, Attitudes, Leadership and Circle/Connection. I wanted them to commit to the 4 parts as they would be more comfortable with each other at each meeting and bond rather than have just one meeting.
The pilot ran from 2000 to 2002 and ended when ML closed their Service Center here in Denver to relocate back to headquarters. No longer in the corporate environment, I registered Wisdom for the Ages with CO as a business, I networked and gave speeches and held a couple of workshops but it never took off.
I’m now writing for a blog called Plain Talk and Ordinary Wisdom that is a type of extension of Wisdom for the Ages.
I am happy to see others feel the same way in the value of connection. I wish you much success in getting the word out there and showing others how important we are to one another.
As Ram Dass says in “Still Here”: “…when there is true surrender and service between people, the roles of helper and helped, and the boundaries between those in power and those who are powerless, begin to dissolve.”
Blessings,
Pat,
Thank you for visiting my blog! I love your “Wisdom for the Ages” format and I’m eager to hear more about how you conducted each of the four sessions. It strikes me that the sessions could be healing for many of the participants. If it’s ok with you I would like to include it in some of my writings as an idea for leaders to consider. Perhaps we could talk soon. I’m crazy busy this week until Friday when my schedule clears a bit.
Michael
Michael - thank you for visiting my blog and I’m happy you’re interested in Wisdom for the Ages and want to hear more about the format.
When you have some free time perhaps you can e-mail me and we can set up a time to talk.
Thank you
Pat
e-mail: pcruppel47@msn.com