Forward, Summer 2016 Issue

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Summer 2016 Q Forward Magazine
profit—it is pretty challenging to inspire
others and get them to rally around it.
Employee engagement research states that for
people to feel a connection with their work,
they need to be able to envision themselves
achieving purpose at work. An astute leader
nurtures alignment among their workforce
by linking the key performance indicators of
each role in the organization to the overall
key performance indicators and objectives
of the business. When people are able to
“connect the dots” from what they do each
day to how it impacts the customer—and
maybe even the world at large—they are
much more engaged and concerned for what
they do and how well they deliver it.
[ 2 ]
Institutionalize & Perpetuate
Guiding Principles and Values
Building guiding principles and core values
into the culture is a very powerful way to
institutionalize and perpetuate the right
behaviors throughout the organization.
Leaders who are serious about their core
values and guiding principles discipline
themselves and their organization to only hire
people who are aligned and have the ability
to demonstrate those values and principles
through the right on the job behavior.
Behavioral and values-based interviewing
is a key component of a values driven
organization’s hiring process. In these same
types of companies, leadership development
and succession planning programs are created
and built on the foundation of the core
values and guiding principles.
[ 3 ]
Clearly Articulate Expectations
and Intended Outcomes
Organizational objectives and desired
outcomes are best achieved when clearly
articulated and repeated often. Business
leaders often voice frustration because their
message in its true intent is not reaching all
the ranks. The reality is, most people need
to hear things 7 times before committing
it to memory. Therefore role requirements,
goals and objectives also need to be repeated
frequently enough to ensure everyone
involved is present to and aware of the game
plan and what it looks like to win.
Some leaders of larger organizations
cascade their message to the workforce
through their trusted and capable
management team. Others design a
communication strategy and deliver their
message through a series of channels;
like individualized emails, the company
intranet, daily from the desk of “CEO”
thoughts, weekly CEO talks, or monthly
town hall meetings and newsletters.
[ 4 ]
Foster Excitement &
Celebrate Forward Momentum
Alignment happens intrinsically when
people are gathered together in service of
a mission bigger than themselves. They
are called forth by the purpose and the
mission and then measure their success
by milestones and accomplishments along
the way. A leader that celebrates forward
movement, learning from failures, taking
risks and working collaboratively to remove
barriers and advance is a leader who teaches
his troops to keep their eye on the prize.
[ 5 ]
Build Trust Through Open
Communication & Clarity
One of the most important components
necessary to nurture and grow workforce
alignment is for the leader and
management to have a strong relationship
with their word. Trusting senior leaders
and management is a critical driver of
employee engagement. Integrity and open
communication is one of the most crucial
behaviors of highly effective leaders. People
do not trust a leader of an organization
who does not follow through on promises
or has a reputation as someone who
re-negotiates agreements after the fact.
Creating boundaries and agreements as
well as honoring those agreements and
boundaries is where the rubber meets the
road with honoring one’s word.
Trust is not about being perfect and
certainly not about keeping things static and
steady. It is about clearly communicating
when and why things need to change,
and giving people advance notice of those
changes and how they can best adapt.
In today’s shifting & highly competitive
global talent market place companies and
business leaders are searching for ways to
reduce unwanted employee turnover, raise
employee engagement and maximize returns
on human capital investments. Building
and fostering an Aligned and Purposeful
workforce is a sure way to optimize, energize
and retain your best people.
About the Author
Magi Graziano, as seen on NBC, is
the CEO of Conscious Hiring® and
Development, a speaker, employee
recruitment and engagement expert and
author of The Wealth of Talent. Through
her expansive knowledge and captivating
presentations, Magi provides her customers
with actionable, practical ideas to maximize
their effectiveness and ability to create
high-performing teams. With more than
20 years’ experience as a top producer in
the Recruitment and Search industry, she
empowers and enables leaders to bring
transformational thinking to the day-to-day
operation. For more information on Magi
please visit .