To improve employee retention and engagement, start to look for heroes at work. Often, you may find they are people who may appear to be Clark Kent, when their impact on your organization is more like Superman.
Don’t ignore those who contribute to the success of your business. It’s possible to have two employees, who do the same job and yet one contributes to your business, while the other hurts it. This is all about intangible contributions.
How can leaders become better aware of heroes at work? Consider these tips:
Ask the Question
At your next team meeting, take a few minutes to ask employees how they are heroes on the job. The answers may surprise you, as often I’ve found the employees reveal skills and talents that aren’t captured by a job description but are equally important. And they may do these things without even thinking about them.
These are likely best practices that need to be acknowledged, rewarded, and communicated to others. They can play a huge role in your employee culture. Got a shy group? Consider some kind of perk for those who share.
You don’t discover these treasured moments, unless you ask.
Customer Service Heroes
What is the value of an employee who makes nervous or agitated customers feel confident that a solution to their problem will be found? Not sure? Consider the damage done to your brand by someone who is rude or appears uninterested in a customer’s needs.
It takes knowledge and good people skills to handle a challenging situation correctly. Is it the fault of the employee, who underachieves or the supervisor, who has not provided adequate training? Simply telling someone the mechanics of the job doesn’t guarantee they’ll perform it well. I’m assuming, “okay,” is not your goal.
Onboarding & Training
If you can uncover what makes the good employees, really good, then you can communicate it to others. Sometimes this is just about setting expectations.
Use the hero model when you’re bringing someone new on board or are asking current employees to follow a new procedure. Tell them, “By doing things this way, you will be a hero to our customers or coworkers.” Then explain the specific reasons why.
Very often, employee are told to do things but are never given the reason why things need to be done a certain way or why they are important. Simply filling in the blank can improve employee performance.
Final Thought
Heroes at work can be found throughout an organization. If you can identify what makes them special, then you can replicate their success in your business.
Let’s Create a Memorable Meeting
