Engaging Top Performers for Better Team Retention
How engaged are your employees, especially your top performers?
When I ask this question of CEOs, I typically get a sheepish look and a burdened response. Struggles with employee engagement appear to be almost commonplace.
IMAGINE YOU HAD THIS SCENARIO…
You have hired who you believe to be a high-performer – a potential “superstar”. They commence with your business, and they quickly prove to have more skills and ability than you had ever imagined.
After 12 months, they reveal that they have significant personal issues, where their children are suffering some critical health issues, and their partner and children need to be supported by their families that both live across the other side of Australia – a 4-5 hour plane ride away. Living away from their home-town is extremely stressful on them and their family, and after less than 12 months they tell you they want to move back home. Your business has no options for them to work remotely, nor has it a satellite office they could be transferred to. They have no choice but to leave and head back home, get the support they desperately need, and will find alternative employment back home.
How engaged do you think this employee would now be?
How focused would they be on doing their job?
How much of an impact would you expect this to have on their performance?
How much energy might this take for you and your team to support this current team member?
A REAL LIFE SITUATION…
Well…in the Australian Football League (AFL) this has played itself out in the public over the last 12+ months. And yet, for a scenario very similar to what was outlined above, it appears that NONE of the expected outcomes eventuated.
This situation was resolved last week, when one of the game’s emerging superstars, Geelong’s Tim Kelly was traded to an opposition team, the West Coast Eagles, across the other side of the country, having served his club for only 2 years.
At 23, Kelly was a mature age recruit into the country’s elite competition only 2 years ago (normally players are drafted into the competition at 18 or 19). As a first year player, he was awarded the leagues best first year player. In his second year, he was voted into the All Australian Team, and finished the league’s MVP (Brownlow Medal) in an astonishingly high 5th place. He is already regarded as one of the most influential players in the league. His recent trade to his new club netted his original team an all-time high in terms of “deal value”.
After his first year, and having achieved some extraordinary results, Kelly had requested a trade to return to his home state across the other side of the country. He had cited family matters with two of his three young children facing the challenges facing autism, and the need to keep his wife close to both their families.
At the end of the 2018 trade period, NO deal was done to enable Kelly to return to his home state. Whilst his current club was publicly keen to support their new star’s return home, they demanded a high price to trade him, and no “deal” was done. So, Kelly had no choice but to play the 2019 season with his original club. Even though his heart would have been elsewhere, through the 2019 season he elevated his game to an even higher standard, dominating many games, now being seen as a genuine superstar of the game. All of this with a back-drop of extreme emotional strain and struggle with his young family.
THE IMPACT ON THE EMPLOYEE
I am simply amazed at Kelly’s ability to perform at the highest level in one of the most gruelling and challenging all-round sports in the world, especially given his personal/family challenges. There would be no doubt that his level of engagement would have been impacted to an extent. I would imagine any employee facing similar circumstances would be affected. I know that when I hit personal hurdles throughout my life, other parts of my life (my work, my health, my community) are always impacted, and have experienced dozens of staff and colleagues experience the same.
THE IMPACT ON THE TEAM-MATES/COLLEAGUES
I was also contemplating how Kelly’s team-mates may have felt, knowing that one of their team-mates wanted to be elsewhere. Whilst I am sure they were able to empathise with his situation, they knew someone they were going into battle with week-in week-out, wanted out of their club, and that they would not be a team-mate in the very near future. Put simply, they talk about strategies, tactics, team values, a club purpose, and the building of a close-knit team culture that can overcome any adversity. Surely you are either ON or OFF the team bus.
WHAT THIS MIGHT MEAN FOR YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS
The Tim Kelly example seems to have had a smooth transition, and a happy ending. I do not believe this is the norm at all, and I encourage all my clients to really measure and assess the levels of engagement of their employees. Whilst these are not conclusive, the following measures will give you a guide as to the levels of Employee Engagement across your business. Employee Engagement % (via a range of surveys), Employee Net Promoter Scores (eNPS), Employee Turnover, Employee Suggestions offered, Attendance, and Business Performance.
Employee engagement is most certainly a LEAD indicator for customer satisfaction, profitability, safety, and business growth amongst other key measures. One disengaged employee will typically not perform their role to the best of their ability (not intentionally). This will usually translate into sub-optimal focus on detail, on getting things right first time, on delivering an unwavering customer focus, and the list could go on… I have seen this on hundreds of occasions in my leadership roles throughout my corporate career and continue to see it every day in my client’s businesses.
THE TOP 5 QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONTEMPLATE AND TAKE ACTION AROUND:
How accurate is your AWARENESS of your staff’s levels of engagement?
How are you measuring this?
What is this costing your business?
For those whose engagement is NOT at the desired level, what actions are you taking to enhance this?
If you were to increase the levels of engagement by 5%, what outcomes could you and your people realise?
Ultimately, if we want to grow our businesses successfully and sustainably, it is our number one asset (our ENGAGED PEOPLE) that will enable these outcomes!
GROW WELL!!
For more resources to challenge your thinking and assist you attaining clarity to scale your business without pain, visit our website www.visagegrowthpartners.com.au.
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