Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1014893
22 POWDER COATING, August 2018 I recently spoke with a good friend from the industry and our conversation drifted into me asking the following self-serving question: If I were to write an article for Powder Coating that you wanted to read, what would it be about? Given that this is a trade magazine, I expected a technical or process focused topic. Not at all. My friend's million-dollar question can be summarized as follows: How do we (employers) get people (employees) to care about what they are doing? Although my career is largely confined to metal finishing, I believe that engagement in the workplace is a uni- versal challenge. We all face the same basic problems at the core, whether we are owners/managers or employees. If you are like me, it is difficult to find the time to dive into business books that address employee engagement and per- formance management. My hope with this article is to provide some examples from my experience on how to create an environment in your business that rein- forces the culture you want to see thrive. Bring together people who you trust who are smarter than you, ask for their help, and act on their advice As small business owners or managers, we have a lot of responsibility and not a lot of freedom to speak our minds amongst our employees. If you do have a habit of entrusting too much informa- tion to your employees, you should stop right now because you are likely confus- ing them. While not directly related to creating employee engagement, this nevertheless addresses the need you have as a leader to clarify your ideas and double check your decisions. If you are at the front end of starting your busi- ness, find people amidst your friends and family who have business experi- ence and bounce your ideas off them. ere are industry groups that provide the opportunity to join a peer group (boards of trade, small business associa- tions, or even powder coating associa- tions). When you have enough people in your organization, I highly recom- mend you clearly define a leadership team that is able to share the burden of completing tasks and seeing things through. ere is nothing worse than talking a big game to your employees about a plan you have, getting buy in, and then dropping the ball. (Believe me, I have been guilty of this in the past.) This kills trust and erodes employee engagement. Articulate why you exist and how you do what you do, and then constantly tell your team Five years ago, I wrote an article for Powder Coating calling for owners to dig into the question of why their business exists. I do not intend to repackage the article here, but the following questions summarize the main points. [Editor's note: You can read this article by search- ing the author's name in the Article Archive on www.pcoating.com.] • Why did you start your business? • Why did you take the leadership position in the business that you work in? • Why do you get up in the morning and go to the shop/ office/job site? A paycheck is the byproduct of what you do, not the reason you do it. ere must have been something that capti- vated you or a goal that you were aspir- ing to achieve when you decided to undertake the responsibility. You need to take the time to synthesize this down into a simple statement that you can share with your employees and act out on a daily basis. After you have clarified why, you need to articulate the unique ways you per- form this statement of purpose in your business and the way you expect all your employees to behave as well. is is the how that is unique to your busi- ness that ensures you are living up to the why (purpose) of your business. As this is somewhat cerebral, I recom- mend you look at the book e Advan- tage by Patrick Lencioni. He unpacks this idea in great detail. I also highly recommend finding a competent facili- tator to take you through this process. Communicate with your people We are all people, so be personal. Hav- ing just recently gone through the pro- cess that Lencioni outlines in his book, there are members of Aegis that are aware that something has changed, but the significance is lost on them. Out of 15 employees, only one went out of their way to directly ask me what hap- pened. Remember not to take for granted the steps you have gone through when implementing change in your organization. Overcommunica- tion is better than no communication, so make the time to bring your employ- ees up to speed on the growth and changes in order to reinforce engage- ment. Simple clarity throughout the day and updates as to how the compa- ny is doing as a whole goes a long way in building awareness and a greater appre- ciation for the organization that your employees belong to. Own their goals Along with communicating to your employees the how and the why of the business, I would encourage you to also Coater's Corner Chris McKinnon Aegis Industrial Finishing Hung up on people