Ed on Navy Motivation, Employee Engagement

I prompted Marc to put this post on the blog because of how radical it was as a concept, but also because I know how important motivation and employee engagement are to businesses.  My first thought when Marc shared this gem was, really?  I thought Marc was pulling my leg.

It is interesting to me that oftentimes the business world takes a cue from innovative military principles and practices and applies them in a corporate context to the collective chant of "business is war".

Not really, but it is a compelling battle cry.

So employee engagement, motivation and morale are at the heart of improving most businesses of today.  Pick up any newspaper, business journal, industry conference or business book and you'll see "employee engagement" being touted as one of the most important and prominent topics to be educated on and improved.  The importance of conducting employee engagement surveys and employee attitude surveys is all the rage right now in the executive board room.

So ... innovative practices that spur employee engagement can quickly go viral and become widely promoted and utilized.

Probably not at much risk is Marc's sharing of a "don't get a DUI for six months in the command and everyone gets a day off" practice.

Brad said it best ... WOW!

I want to add my two cents on things I believe are crucial to employee motivation and engagement.

1. Transparency - the more of it you can provide the better.  In Marc's Navy case maybe this isn't practical because you are dealing with intelligence matters of high national security.  But in most businesses leaders can and should share more about their strategies, their intent and what they are doing to grow and improve their businesses.  When people know what's going on it's easier for them to get behind those ideas and support them.

2. Investment - the more you invest the better.  I'm not just talking financially as investment can also be in time and energy.  Often, the latter investment means more than the money.  If your employees feel you are investing in them then they are more likely to invest in your company, and you as a leader.

These two tips can make huge payoffs in employee engagement, morale and motivation.  Easy to say but hard to do.  And if you do them well as a leader or owner of a business then you will be differentiating your company.  The huge corporations of today have an even tougher time delivering on these two elements.  Look deeper into some of the most innovative new employment practices that target increases in employee engagement and you'll find one or both of these key concepts as core ingredients.

You reap what you sow, and in this case the harvest can be spectacular if you're willing to extend the effort.