Trying vs Try-ingIn the May 7th post, “A Reference for Employee Engagement Reports, Studies, and Surveys,” I provided a reference guide to the various employee engagement reports, studies, and surveys I’ve come across. Basically, they all lead to the same conclusion: the state of engagement isn’t pretty.

 

These are trying times. “Trying” (adjective) meaning extremely annoying, difficult, or the like; straining one’s patience and goodwill to the limit.1 However, we should look at the situation differently and consider “Try-ing” instead. To try (verb) is to attempt to do or accomplish. 2 With all the bad news about employee engagement, it is time to try something new.

 

In previous posts, I have focused mostly on what managers can do to affect employee engagement. It is important to keep in mind that employees play a role as well.  Below are six options to “try” whether you are a manager or an employee.

 

1. “What’s the best thing that happened to you today?”

In “How One Question Can Change Your Work Culture,” Amanda Gore challenges us to bring more positivity into the workplace by asking this question at every opportunity. “The field of positive psychology proves that a ratio of 3:1 positive comments or experiences or feelings a day to negative transforms workplaces and people!”3

 

2. Be aware of your thoughts.

“Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.” 4 ― Mahatma Gandhi

 

3. Find ways to recognize people.
Monica from People Metrics posted “25 Staff Appreciation and Recognition Ideas that Won’t Break the Bank” on the You Earned It blog. “Employees who feel they have a positive personal relationship with their supervisors are more likely to be engaged, and staff appreciation get-togethers provide opportunities for employees to connect with their peers and their supervisors.”5

 

4. Stop complaining

“[People] love to complain and feel resentful not only about other people but also about situations. What you can do to a person, you can also do to a situation: make it into an enemy. The implication is always: This should not be happening; I don’t want to be here; I don’t want to be doing this; I’m being treated unfairly. And the greatest enemy of all is, of course, the present moment, which is to say, life itself.”6

If you are complaining, you are living in the past and focused on the faults of others. That means you aren’t focusing on the one thing you can control in the present – yourself.

 

5. Listen

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” – Ernest Hemingway7

In most conversations, we are actively thinking about what we want to say next instead of listening to what the other person(s) are saying.  We expect to be heard yet don’t afford that same courtesy to others.

 

6. Build relationships

Engagement is boosted through positive personal relationships. While the suggestion below can help in building those relationships, they come with added benefits.

 

  • Go for a walk.

Having a one-to-one talk or having a walking meeting, can help build relationships. Since distractions are limited, people are more likely to do a better job of listening.  Arianna Huffington’s, “Hemingway, Thoreau, Jefferson and the Virtues of a Good Long Walk,” makes the case that walking also benefits us from a health perspective (exercise) and that it increases cognitive performance.8

 

  • Time for a coffee break.  (Maybe a walking coffee break?)

Coffee breaks are often used by coworkers and by networkers as a way to connect with others. In addition, the coffee could have some added benefits. “In a study published this year in the journal Nature Neuroscience, healthy subjects were shown a group of pictures; they were then shown a second round and asked to identify images similar to the ones in the first group. Those who were given caffeine pills after the first round performed better than those who were given placebos. How can caffeine enhance memory? One theory is that it blocks a molecule in the brain called adenosine from inhibiting norepinephrine, a hormone that helps consolidate information for later.”9

 

The suggestions above are just a few of the many things you could attempt. By “Try-ing” these simple ideas, you’ll be on your way to making a difference in your employee engagement efforts.

 

 

 

1 “Trying” Def. 1. Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com LLC. Web. 10 June 2014.

2 “Try” Def. 1. Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com LLC. Web. 10 June 2014.

3 Gore, Amanda. “How One Question Can Change Your Work Culture.” LinkedIn, 2 June 2014. Web. 10 June 2014. <https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140602074335-5875527-how-one-question-can-change-your-work-culture?trk=eml-ced-b-art-Ch-5-9086894358893942898&midToken=AQEVNCkQHwAJgg&fromEmail=fromEmail&ut=0Snmdwv35UESg1 >.

4 Gandhi, Mahatma. “Mahatma Gandhi Quote.”  Goodreads. Web. 10 June 2014. <http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/34101-keep-your-thoughts-positive-because-your-thoughts-become-your-words>.

5 People Metrics (Monica). “25 Staff Appreciation and Recognition Ideas that Won’t Break the Bank.” . YouEarnedIt.com, 28 Mar. 2014. Web. 10 June 2014. <http://youearnedit.com/blog/18873-25-staff-appreciation-and-recognition-ideas-that-wont-break-the-bank/>.

6 Feldstein, R. “A NEW EARTH -8- ECKHART TOLLE.” Rice University. Web. 10 June 2014. <http://faculty2.ric.edu/rfeldstein/434fall10/8.anewearthcomplainingandresentment.pdf>.

7 Hemingway, Ernest. “Ernest Hemingway Quote.”  Goodreads. Web. 10 June 2014. < http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/18897-when-people-talk-listen-completely-most-people-never-listen>.

8 Huffington, Arianna. “Hemingway, Thoreau, Jefferson and the Virtues of a Good Long Walk.”  Huffington Post, 23 Aug. 2014. Web. 10 June 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/hemingway-thoreau-jeffers_b_3837002.html>.

9Gupta, Sanjay. “Sanjay Gupta, MD: 4 Ways to Strengthen Your Memory.” Oprah.com, June 2014. Web. 10 June 2014. <http://www.oprah.com/health/How-to-Improve-Memory-Brain-Exercises>.

 

 

P.S.  First time here? Welcome to the Agent In Engagement site. Thanks for taking the time to stop by!  I hope you’ll explore the rest of the site.Let me know what employee engagement topics interest you.

Other recent Agent in Engagement articles by Gregory F Simpson:

 

 

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I’m Agent in Engagement Simpson…Gregory F Simpson.

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