“Treating people well and engaging them is vital for organisations succeeding.”
This week HR magazine’s Most Influential Thinker of 2018 was revealed, and the thoughts of those who made this annual list shared during the launch event (as reported in HR Magazine). The above quote is from Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), ranked as second in the list. Last year Taylor was the lead author in the report ‘A Review of Modern Working Practices’ commissioned by the UK Govt., in which he highlights:
“There are too many people at work who are treated like cogs in a machine rather than human beings’’, and talks about the concept of ‘good’ work as a key need for the future – quality of work (as experienced by those in it), as important as quantity.
The key message from Taylor’s point of view is clear, now and in the future, prioritising people and their experience at work to maximise human potential is vital to creating business success, irrespective of what technological changes are on the horizon. “What drives people’s experience at work, drives the social agenda and the economic agenda, improving productivity and succeeding as a country.’’
“It’s up to us to decide what the future of work is.’’
Such a positive and empowering message – we can all decide to make a positive change whatever we do, and wherever we work. We can all choose to have a positive impact on others.
Gallup research says that focussing on people’s strengths means we are 30 times more likely to create active engagement in others.
The insight and confidence that we can give to others in every interaction is a huge and powerful gift.
Much of the time at work, we conform to being those cogs in the machine, whatever the culture we work within, too preoccupied and focused on our to do lists and ourselves that we forget about human interaction with those around us. We can worry what people think of us and become masked, leading to a lack of authenticity that hinders real communication and genuine relationships. When Gallup measures engagement at work , the impact of managers makes up 70% of the variance. Managers and leaders can have a transactional perspective, seeing the tasks rather than the person involved, seeing their teams as cogs in the machine.
The HBR Quality of Life @ Work study found that “employees who felt that their leaders treated them with respect were 63% more satisfied with their jobs, 55% more engaged, 58% more focused, and 110% more likely to stay with their organization.”
We all have the human ability to make a life and career changing impact on others. We can all look beyond our tasks and to do lists to the people around us and create an environment of trust and respect, a more human and positive approach. We can all take responsibility for this and take an active part.
Being positive and encouraging others is vital behaviour in creating positive expectation and one of the reasons why managers and leaders on Courageous Success iAM Development Programmes report an impact on their leadership of over 85%. They create the habit of always seeing the best in others. When was the last time that you looked at someone and saw the best in them, even when they couldn’t see it in themselves?
So, who are you encouraging, advising, supporting and building up?
Here are some tips to having a positive impact on others and making your work good!
- Be aware of your impact on others and manage your emotional response.
- Be positive yourself, consistently, exude “can do” with others and in your own approach.
- Show people that you like them! The minute that you engage, listen, smile, show others that you see the spirit and potential and real person in them – you build their confidence, remove self-doubt and open the encouragement door for them to be themselves.
- Listen and ask questions rather than telling. How would you get your best friend to achieve something? Take the same approach.
- Be resilient. This is not about you. It is about others feeling great about themselves and loving their work and working with you. Be the spotlight highlighting what’s great in and for your team.
- Build belief in others. See the best in them when they can’t see it in themselves.
- Bring the you outside of work, the you when you are with your friends and family – into work.
#BeYourselfAtWork