A young man (traditional story) and a young woman meet and fall in love. They spend their days just being together and spending time discussing their hopes and dreams. They talk of the future and where they will live, what they will name their children and how many they will have. The days rush by in a blur and time is of no consequence.
Have you ever had a job like that? A job that challenges and motivates you? A job that makes you look at the wider world and think - I'm in the right place for me right now.
So how can we get those who work for us to approach their jobs in the same way?
- Purpose.When a newly engaged couple go out in public they pretty much have one thing on their mind. The best for each other. So how do we develop purpose in our people? We define the purpose for our businesses and work units. We thensell that vision to others and let them decide whether or not they want to engage with it.
- Responsibility. The jobs I have always enjoyed best are ones where I have been given the opportunity to stretch my wings and make decisions. Key decisions. Not just lame decisions but real key decisions. Get your people to be part of teams and projects that will expand their view and think more of not only their job but themselves as well.
- Accountability. Couples with responsibility comes accountability. Responsibility without accountability is like giving the keys for a ferrari to a learner driver. When used correctly accountability will enable the people to whom you have given responsibility to have finish times and be able to move on to further projects. In this way you create a seamless cycle. What you do need to be aware of is making sure that there are further projects for your staff to progress onto as well...
To be honest there is no secret recipe or fail proof method for getting people to engage in the workplace. The best thing you can do is allow people to grow themselves within the roles and responsibilities that you give them.
(Source: flickr.com/josummers)
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