Global employee engagement is the at an all time low. Employees and management alike continually seek that one program, technique or coach that will heighten the employee experience, thus profits. They want change.
To determine the course of change, there’s no substitute for well executed questions. Without answers, how do we know what needs to change?
However, typical employee surveys of the past have focused on passive questions which often resulted in negative, uninspiring responses:
• Do you have clear goals? If no, the boss is blamed.
• Do you have meaningful work? If no, the company is blamed
• Do you have strong relationships at work? If no, everyone is blamed.
What if the question isn’t what the company can do to engage you, but rather what you can do to engage yourself?
Noted executive coach Marshall Goldsmith has found that a two-minute daily exercise that costs nothing dramatically increases the health, happiness and effectiveness of employees, thus overall engagement.
The technique involves simply asking yourself six ‘active’ questions each day to change your behavior, thus your engagement (in and out of the office). These active questions are proven to elicit positive, productive answers.
The questions always begin with the phrase ‘did I do my best’:
Did I do my best:
1. To increase my happiness?
2. To find meaning?
3. To be engaged?
4. To build positive relationships?
5. To set clear goals?
6. To make progress toward goal achievement?
Bonus question: What can I do differently?
These questions provide a daily glimpse into what you can do to make a difference in your life. It’s not about what others are or aren’t doing. Your engagement and success is up to you.
Consider a recent flight with two flight attendants. One is happy, enthused and welcoming. The other is cynical, impatient and short with you. What’s the difference?
They both work for the same company, have the same training programs, work environment and pay. The only difference is within each of them, not their bosses or company.
Goldsmith has conducted 79 studies, involving 2,537 participants with the following results from his two-minute technique. In only two weeks, participants reported the following results:
• 37 percent felt happier in all ‘6’ areas
• 65 percent were more effective in at least ‘4’ out of the ‘6’ areas
• 89 percent felt better in at least ‘1’ of the areas
• 11 percent stayed the same
• 0.4 percent felt that they got worse
Sounds easy, doesn’t it–six simple questions? Why then don’t we do it? It’s all about follow through.
In my own executive coaching practice those who follow through with commitments made during our sessions succeed. Those who don’t follow through see no change.
Why is follow-through so difficult? Our lives are in the perfect storm of distractions: nonstop emails, texts, on-demand everything, social media, multi tasking, believing we’ll have time to catch up once the next project is completed….yet it we don’t.
We overestimate our willpower to follow through and make changes. We underestimate our need for structure and support. These questions provide structure. Sharing your answers daily with a friend or coach provide support.
To hold himself accountable for the life he wants to live and his own accomplishments, the number one executive coach in the US has his own coach. Goldsmith shares the answers to these six questions and 32 other personal questions with his coach every day.
I’d be happy to share his additional 32 questions and methodology with you if you email me at ann@gvasuccess.com.
I challenge you to do your own two-week study. Answers the above six questions and share your results with someone whom you trust each day. At the end of the two weeks, notice what has changed for you.
Overall, do you feel more successful? Are you more engaged, happier, enjoying relationships at a deeper level? Give yourself the gift of follow-through and heightened engagement. Let me know what you discover.
