When you wake up in the morning are you excited to get to work? As you shower are you already thinking about all the good work you are going to do that day? Does your heart open in joy when you think about the camaraderie at work? Do you tell your friends and acquaintances how great your job is and how wonderful it is to work there? Do you bring your all with you to work? Or, do you leave parts of yourself behind? How committed and engaged are you—really? The primary valuation of a company is its people. According to the Human Capital Institute only 25% to 55% of employees are engaged. It’s interesting to note that 90% of managers believe that people leave because of money but the top three reasons people actually leave their jobs are a lack of challenging work, little opportunity to grow and develop, and poor management relationships. So it seems, contrary to some opinions, people want to be engaged. Human resource managers for decades have struggled with how to create job satisfaction. Better, more comprehensive questions would be, how do we help employees find delight, delight that’s foundational for satisfaction, productivity, full-on engagement and commitment? In other words, how does the organization facilitate a workplace that feeds each employee’s sense of sheer delight, nurtures their passion, and makes them know they are blessed to be a part of such an amazing place? According to 2007 CEO Briefing, attracting and retaining talented people is one of the top five issues facing organizations today. So the work place to be is that which finds the secret ingredient to cultivate full-on engagement and true delight in going to work each day. When employees engage, productivity and delight naturally grow. Engaged employees attract other individuals who desire to be productive and engaged. It’s not surprising that studies show top talent tends to cluster together. So what is it that delivers workplace delight besides the very obvious? One possible answer might surprise you—our differences! Differences are something we hide, something we work to overcome, and something at which we often inwardly cringe. We find comfort in people just like us. We cluster together naturally. We find safety in us versus them. But, our differences also supply the ‘juice’ that can energize an organization and life in its many facets. When we see ourselves as part of something larger than our individual self, as being together, can we begin to see the power in our differences. Until this point we are separate and different, individuals each requiring protection and defense. As we learn to honor each other, we create a productive, supportive work environment free of back-biting, gossip and sacrificed integrity. Instead we develop an environment where people end the stage show and come to work, not to put on a facade or mask, but come to work to work and play, simply by being who they are. douglasfirst@gmail.com
