What a fun week. I met with some cool new people and connected with others that I’m just getting to know. I have one quick story as I close out the week and get ready for a horse show this weekend!
I read this article on employee engagement from a group of people at The Ken Blanchard Companies. Check it out.
Employee Work Passion: A New Look at Engagement. Drea Zigarmi, Dobie Houson, Jim Diehl, and David Witt. Chief Learning Officer, June 2010
The part of the article that caught my attention was the list of five important areas that measure employee passion.
- Job commitment. Being committed, enthusiastic and emotionally positive about the job.
- Organizational commitment. Being committed, enthusiastic and emotionally positive about the organization.
- Discretionary effort. Willing to put in the extra effort as needed.
- Employee retention. Expecting to stay with the organization.
- Organizational endorsement. Willing to recommend the organization and it’s leaders to others.
I met a gentleman this week from the company OtterBox. Not only do they have great products, they have a high “cool factor” similar to companies like Apple, 37signals, and others. People want to buy products from these companies because they make people feel something. People want to be inspired and when a company and their products do just that, they have an advantage in the marketplace that is untouchable and cannot be purchased or acquired. They just have it. They have that cool factor that makes people line up for whatever they have to say or sell.
Anyhow, I met this guy from Otterbox. I’ll call him Joe in this article. Within five minutes, I could tell Joe loved working for his company. He felt part of something bigger, something cool, and I could see it in his eyes. The light in his eyes said it all with regard to how he felt about working at OtterBox. What a gift—for both Joe and OtterBox! He proceeded to tell me that they were growing. He spoke of folks wearing multiple hats and experimenting and making mistakes and moving quickly. There was no resistance to change. There was a culture of engaged employees, leaders with integrity, and an openness to new ideas and a belief that if you aren’t making mistakes, you’re not trying. Cool stuff!
One a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the highest), Joe would have scored 5s on all the areas that measure employee passion.Way to go Otterbox! You’re lucky to have Joe!
I’m convinced that engaged + happy employees are the catalyst for any change necessary to keep a company at it’s best and to weather inevitable challenges.
Interestingly, most of us have examples of companies where CEOs are hired on to maximize shareholder value and drive up the stock price, at all costs (and no concern for their employees). Employees are numbers and the corporate culture is a toxic waste dump. Not fun.
This article is about featuring a company that is doing it right. I’m confident that the changes underway at Otterbox will be exciting and profitable!
Have a great weekend everyone! Wish me well as I navigate (or try to) my 1200lb. horse at a dressage show.
