We’re talking about figurative fires at work, and we know they aren’t caused intentionally, of course. Here’s how one client of ours got to the root cause of their fires and snuffed them out.
The Problem: Where to Focus?
In a recent planning session, our client shared their three measures of success:
- employee engagement
- customer satisfaction
- financial metrics
They continued by saying, “We always struggle with at least one of these. We tend to focus only on financial metrics while putting out fires, and the other two categories suffer as a result.”
Does this resonate with you? Are you and your team always focusing on financial results, while battling urgent problems that require immediate attention? Keep reading; solutions lie ahead!
The Solution: For Better Outcomes, Focus on Inputs
Brilliantly, our client then identified the answer to their problem: “We need to shift our focus to increasing employee engagement, which will in turn improve customer satisfaction, and result in our meeting and exceeding financial goals, because engaged employees create happy customers who will pay for the value delivered.”
No matter where you work, this solution is gold! And while we didn’t speak those words of wisdom, we certainly want to share them.
Notice that one successful metric led to another. If the company succeeded at the first step – employee engagement – then they naturally achieved high customer satisfaction that led to financial success. Voila! No need to focus everywhere at once. (That’s impossible to do anyway.) By getting the inputs right, the outcomes take care of themselves.
The Implementation: Start With a Plan
As Stephen Covey famously advised, “Begin with the end in mind.”
Knowing they needed a plan, our client worked through the POISED strategic planning process with us. They now have a dynamic 10-year strategic plan, created in just 12 hours! Each quarter, we analyze their progress together, reset goals as needed, and implement our resources for efficiency.
Having implemented our unique CliftonStrengths process, our client is moving forward in 2022, building a StrengthsFirst culture. This includes bringing strengths into the onboarding process and holding teambuilding sessions throughout the year. Shifting to a strengths-based approach, employee engagement can jump from approximately 30% to over 70% – a massive improvement.
It’s Your Turn!
How much more could you accomplish if your employee engagement more than doubled? Imagine exceeding your company goals and enjoying success rather than fighting fires every day!
For more information on strategic planning, increasing employee engagement, and improving your team’s results, contact Partner2Learn today.