So what do people want?

I though I would share a little information around an issue that keeps coming up in executive coaching  conversations. How does one boost employee productivity and engagement?

An interesting Harvard Business Review article notes  that  many leaders make the  surprisingly common, and wrong,  assumption  that pay equals engagement. In fact research shows there is only a small correlation between pay and job satisfaction  and  there is much more to the high performance equation than merely income. It’s known that recognition and intrinsic motivation are much more important to our success, and this article discusses how recognition can boost engagement. An interesting read.

One thing I am sure you will remember is that  I always mention that  changing the way you  use meetings makes a big difference. Nancy Kline’s Thinking Environment argues that everything we do depends for its quality on the thinking we do first – and our thinking depends on the quality of our attention for each other. The Transforming Meetings training we offer results in savings of both time and money as well as improved relationships and  greater cooperation. If you, or someone you think might be interested, are ever keen to see the magic at work we have some workshops coming up.

Listening to staff can also make a leaders job so much easier – however one  thing people often struggle with is finding  ways of giving  staff a voice and the confidence to use it. Mark Graham, CEO of  the promotional marketing company Right Sleeve has some  ideas… 

It would be great to hear if you’ve had any positive  experiences of using listening and positive acknowledgement to boost engagement and  productivity.