The Value of Engagement

“People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

John Maxwell

I had the opportunity to visit the company of a friend who was the VP of a large service organization. During the visit we toured the warehouse and I was amazed to see how many of his employees responded to him as moved through the building. They all said hello and he acknowledged each of them by name. He told me how long some of them had been working with the company and special stories about their families. It was quite apparent that there was a lot of respect between them. He genuinely cared about his employees. As a result, he led a high performing team which year over year met performance goals.

During lunch we discussed his company and his philosophy on leadership. He expressed that no company can truly be successful without a fully committed and engaged work force. Part of cultivating the engagement is to treat everyone like you want to be treated and to value each employee personally. No one likes to work in anonymity. They want to know that they matter and that you care. They want to feel and be treated like they are genuinely important and that the work they do is important.

As a result of my experience, I have made a conscious effort to engage with every member of my team. I do not do it because I am trying to get more out of them, but because I want them to know that they are important to me and our company. It is about people and building solid working relationships. I am not saying we need to be best buddies with everyone that works with us, but an effort should be made to connect with them on a meaningful level. Above all else people are a company’s greatest asset.

Has there been a time in your career that you felt anonymous at work? How did it impact your performance? Did it leave you feeling disconnected? Maybe you feel like just another number.

Have you ever worked for a company where you felt valued?