jdean3 - Tales of Transformation

I was pleasantly surprised this past week upon learning of the fact that “customer engagement” has risen to our management radar screen.  As a part of a huge company, who has been accused of being mired in bureaucracy (even paralysis by analysis), I am pleased to hear we want to move beyond measuring customer satisfaction and getting closer to understanding what true customer engagement is and how we might encourage/facilitate greater loyalty and passion.  I will have more to share about customer engagement in future posts.

One of the reasons I am excited to learn of these plans is that it means we will also drive/measure employee engagement as well.  Specifically, it is impossible to influence the engagement of customers without the fully engaged employees to do so.  Given the personal impact of the massive restructuring this Company (and industry) has undergone, it is a welcomed and necessary shift in emphasis.

So, I want to return to my hypothesis that someone can improve their lot in life despite their feeling that their career is at a dead end, simply by beginning to view, treat and act like this stage in their life is more favorably resembling a cul-de-sac.

I’m not sure who coined this french phrase referring to the end of a road into a positive reflection of a peaceful, desirable, high quality real estate term, but it is ingenious.  Those living on a cul-de-sac place high value on the lack of traffic, strangers passing through and a peaceful / safe family setting.  Neighbors are closer, spend more time in  their front yards and place a premium on their home values as a result of this lifestyle.  And it works!

The lesson to learn: Rather than live with career dissatisfaction we can chose another path. How something is perceived and presented to ourselves directly impacts its value to others.  This is the opportunity we all have to improve the value of our situations–relishing the opportunity to far exceed the requirements of our positions and becoming an expert at our function due to the time on the job or to mentor those around us and find a level of harmony that can’t be matched in any other job.  We are in the drivers seat.  We can control the controllable.

Here are a few suggestions for those who find they are otherwise “stuck” in a position longer than they originally expected and have allowed themselves to become dissatisfied with their job:

• Become the most influential “ambassador” of your Company they have ever seen.  I’m not talking about simply showing up….I’m talking about going over the top.  Can you become the hidden gem that no one ever expected?  Can you be the textbook example of an employee that the Company can’t live without?  This is a level of engagement that is probably less than 1% of the population….and it is totally up to an individuals choice.  It doesn’t take a degree, or management support or financial resources (for the most part).  It just requires a passion and a goal.
• Become a selfless promoter of someone you believe will benefit the Company.  Very often, we improve our own lot in life by supporting the right leaders to follow.  Look around and take notice of those that bring something special to the organization and encourage them.  Give them emotional and verbal support to keep it up.  Focus on the actions not the individual.  Spread the positive news/impact of the action that impressed you.  This is incredibly contagious and will ultimately raise the interest level in others doing the same act.
• Take on something outside your comfort zone and job function that might help you connect with customers.  Social media, graphic art, journalism, design, etc…all have direct correlation to a company’s growth and success.  Being in a perpetual state of learning is a critical first step to finding ways to most contribute.  Don’t wait for someone to direct you to gain the knowledge….visionaries that can foresee the exact skill-sets required at a specific point in time don’t exist.