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Employee Engagement

July 24, 2011

The Truth About Getting the Best from People

Trust About Getting the Best from People Build a culture of engagement...one person, one interaction at a time! That is the basis for the next book in my continuing series of book reviews. 

Author and leadership consultant, Martha Finney reveals 49 proven leadership principles for getting the best from every employee, every team, and every organization.

She shows how to build a workforce that’s positive, committed, passionate...how to really motivate people, even on a tight budget...how to lead with authenticity, clarity, consistency, and inspiration. These skills offer powerful, quantifiable business value. 

You can build and lead teams full of self-motivated, innovative contributors: people who love their jobs, believe in their mission, and perform with focus, enthusiasm, and creativity! 

The book will help to reveal some key truths:

-    The truth about building a self-driven workforce that’s positive, committed, and passionate.

-    The truth about what really motivates people--and what doesn’t.

-    The truth about leading with authenticity, clarity, consistency, and inspiration.

A few popular highlights: 

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Posted at 12:01 PM in Book Reviews, Employee Engagement | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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May 18, 2011

Technology and Social Media in the Work Place

Social media Social media continues to be a hot topic in the work place. Everyone is trying to figure out how much impact social media has on recruiting, retention, customer engagement, employee development…and what are the legal ramifications.

One organization that is trying to help you make sense of all this is The Human Resource Professionals of Central PA (a chapter of SHRM – Society for Human Resource Management). They have invited me to participate as a guest panelist at their spring conference. 

I am going to be participating on a “Multi-Generational Panel” discussing technology and social media in the work place. As a guy in my mid 40’s I may very well be the “old guy” on the panel (which is rather humbling), but I hope to provide my thoughts on the importance of social media. Too often we think of social media as just for young people or something that is a “time waster.” 

However, as this “old guy” firmly believes knowledge and relationships will make you and your organization better. I firmly believe that technology and social media are a critical component in my life to deepen my relationships and gain wisdom. 

The conference is May 24th in Harrisburg and this link has more details.

Posted at 02:27 PM in Employee Engagement, Speaking | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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February 15, 2011

Sustaining Success in High Performance Organizations – Messiah College Soccer

Crest-8bToday I attended the Messiah Business Alumni Association breakfast where I had the privilege of hearing the Messiah College men’s and women’s soccer coaches, Brad McCarty and Scott Frey respectively, speak about the reason behind the success of the school’s soccer programs. The men’s team has won the NCAA Division III National Championship an astounding eight of the last eleven years. The women’s team has tacked on three NCAA Division III National Championships of its own in the last six years. This season the women’s team also beat the previous Division III women’s soccer unbeaten record by completing 76 games over the last three seasons without a loss. Clearly, these teams are doing something right. 

What may be surprising, however, is that the purpose of these two teams is not to win (yet that is exactly what they consistently do). Would they say they hoped to win? Certainly. Nobody likes losing. But winning is not what defines them. The coaches strive to create a particular culture for their teams from day one of a player’s involvement in the program to the day they graduate four years later. This culture focuses less on game results and more on the teams’ core values. 

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Posted at 05:33 PM in Employee Engagement, Leadership, Management | | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

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January 30, 2011

CPA Firms Make Super Bowl Wager for Charity

Super-bowl-2011-times-and-facts_1 Who says accountants don’t know how to have fun? Two accounting firms are making a Super Bowl wager for charity and they happen to be McKonly & Asbury’s IGAF partner firms. In case you’re not familiar with IGAF Worldwide, it is an association of independent accounting firms that my firm, McKonly & Asbury, is a member of.  It consists of approximately 130 member firms in more than 60 countries. Through IGAF Worldwide, independent member firms offer the strength and capabilities of a large, worldwide organization with technical depth and geographic reach impossible for a local firm alone. 

The two IGAF partner firms making this wager are Kolb+Co., a Brookfield, Wisconsin-based public accounting firm, and Schneider Downs, Pittsburgh's largest independent public accounting firm. Each company will come together in a team spirit day, where employees can support their team through casual dress when they make a $5 donation. Once the Super Bowl has been decided, all proceeds will be donated to the winning company’s charity. Both firms are planning to match the employee contributions to raise the stakes. 

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Posted at 08:13 AM in Employee Engagement, Management, My Thoughts | | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

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August 01, 2010

Forced Employee Engagement and the Overworked Employee

Overworked Employee
Has your organization reduced its workforce during this recession? Have you asked more of your employees? Are your employees working harder and performing at a higher level?

 

A recent survey of employees finds that the average “job footprint” (what a worker is expected to do) has increased by a third since the beginning of the recession. The reward for all this extra effort is mostly frozen pay and reduced benefits.

 

In my many interactions with business owners, I have heard some speak of employees as being “lucky to still have a job.” While that may be true, thinking (and acting) in such a manner is very short sighted.

 

I recently read Deloitte’s Annual Workplace Survey and one-third of employed Americans plan to look for a new job when the economy gets better. What is interesting is that half of those planning to leave state the reason is a “loss of trust in employers.”

Continue reading "Forced Employee Engagement and the Overworked Employee" »

Posted at 07:59 PM in Employee Engagement, Management | | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

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March 03, 2010

Employee Ownership Roundtable: Making Your Organization Excel with Engaged Employees

Happy
Do you want to attract, engage and keep great employees?  Is succession planning important to you? Are you looking to increase your company’s performance? If yes, then you may want to attend the Lancaster County Chamber’s Employee Ownership Roundtable. 

Chip Cargas, CEO of Cargas Systems and I will be leading this roundtable.  Chip is a dynamic business leader and Cargas Systems is an employee owned company.  Cargas has been recognized as a Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania for 5 consecutive years.  Chip will share how his company became employee owned and how this has fueled growth and success.

I plan to share strategies related to succession, valuation related issues and how employee ownership increases corporate performance.  I also plan to share how McKonly & Asbury has been able to engage our employees and consistently make the list of Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania.

This breakfast meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 6th at 7:30 in Lancaster.  If you would like more information, please click this link or feel free to contact me.

Posted at 05:08 PM in Employee Engagement, Servant Leaders | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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October 06, 2008

Learning Culture

Learning_culture_2 During these challenging economic times many organizations look for ways to control (i.e. cut costs) expenses and often reduce the training and learning budget.  In our profession this is called Continuing Professional Education (CPE).  However this is such a vital component to be a great organization.  I did an interview with Boomer Consulting last year explaining just how important staff development is to our organization.

Most organizations focus on sales and production, but spend little time developing the employees.  This is important, but particularly so to our young people (the Generation Y).  This group is looking for Meaning, Voice, Membership, Appreciation, Harmony and Enrichment.  It is this Enrichment component that is about providing opportunities for growth and development.  If your organization intends to keep this generation on the team and engaged, you will need to invest in them.  Leaders that create a Learning Culture will find this creates better customer service and staff that are engaged employees.

Posted at 09:31 PM in Employee Engagement | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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July 17, 2008

The Power of Engaged Employees

One of my favorite things to learn about and to discuss with others is the subject of employee engagement.  As a CPA firm we work in a profession known for burning through the young talent (staff).  I always felt we could do it better, investing in our employees, focusing on communication and respect and this would lead to long-term success.  I believe the results speak for themselves.  McKonly & Asbury is in the midst of a 5-year run on the Pennyslvania statewide list of Best Places to Work and we have grown at an amazing rate.  We have opened 4 additional offices during the past 3 years and continue to experience so many positive results, which I believe are a direct result of having engaged employees.



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Posted at 05:09 PM in Employee Engagement | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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