Look at each of the five behaviors and notice a connecting thread:
An on-going sense of curiosity .
An article in Fast Company. “Employee Engagement is Out. Here’s a Better Metric”,(February 8, 2022) describes “five key behaviors that employees who produce great work demonstrate.”
As you read the workplace behaviors described below, consider the carryover for other teamwork environments (community committees, HOAs, neighborhood athletic leagues, church groups, or local governing bodies). Those producing “great work” do the following:
- “Ask the right questions, like How might this task/process/problem be made easier/faster/safer/better?
- “Go and see, which may mean standing on an assembly line or watching users interact with a product.
- “Talk to an outer circle, gathering information and insight from a broad array of experts.
- “Improve the mix, continually fine-tuning and improving upon their work.
- “Deliver the difference, remaining laser-focused on positive outcomes.”
The bottom line, according to the company that conducted the study, was that the difference-making employees went beyond engagement with colleagues (which is important), to demonstratable and quantifiable outcomes. Engagement has its place, but it does not always equate with mission or output.
Look at each of the five behaviors above and notice a connecting thread: An on-going sense of curiosity by the team members doing great work. Questioning. Exploring. Conversing. Fine-tuning. And, finally, delivering a product based on the authentic path of curiosity.
Building on the five behaviors for great work, five employee archetypes present themselves: Socializers, Builders, Achievers, Taskers and Coasters.
Which one of the archetypes do you think ranks the most productive and which one the least? Check out the article…and see what application there might be for the teams with whom you engage.
Video recommendation for the week.
Elizabeth Gilbert reduces the archetypes to two: Jackhammers and Hummingbirds.
Make it a wonderful week and HTRB has needed.
You will find my latest book, Roxie Looks for Purpose Beyond the Biscuit, in
eBook ($2.99) and paperback ($9.99) format. Click here.
My dog Roxie gets top billing on the author page for this work. Without her, there would be no story. Please, check out her blog.
And you can still order:
- Community as a Safe Place to Land (2019, print and e-book). Available on Amazon. More information (including seven free podcast episodes that spotlight the seven core values highlighted in the book) at the above link.
- Stories about Teaching: No Need to be an Island (2017, print and e-book). Available on Amazon. One college’s new faculty onboarding program uses the scenarios in this book. Contact me if you and your team are interested in doing the same. The accompanying videos (see the link above) would serve to stimulate community-building conversations at the beginning of a meeting.
You can find my podcasts (all fifty episodes) here.
You will find more about me at www.stevepiscitelli.com.
©2022. Steve Piscitelli
The Growth and Resilience Network®
Atlantic Beach, Florida