What Mary Poppins Can Teach about Facilitating Employee Engagement

What Mary Poppins Can Teach Us about Facilitating Employee Engagement

Internal communicators, if they are embedded in the organization, have an awesome opportunity to be change agents and bridge builders. They belong to no functional area exclusively, but must be informed about all of them. They have conversations with people and get to tell those stories to others. They observe and advise, and they are a calm, professional presence during crises. In smart organizations, they sit at the table with the senior leaders, where their professional input is valued and respected, but they also have daily access to and rapport with the people who actually make or repair or think up the widgets. In short, they can be Mary Poppins.

In the 1964 movie musical Mary Poppins, the title character is a nanny who magically transforms the lives of a family by being a most unusual nanny to the two children. For an internal communicator, a little Mary Poppins goes a long way in transforming organizational attitude, leadership influence and employee morale and engagement.

In hiring a nanny, let the charges tell you what they need.

In the movie, when Mr. and Mrs. Banks tried to hire a nanny, they went with the traditional approach. Their job description attracted dozens of potential candidates who could bring “tradition, discipline and rules” to the table. Bah! They found the perfect nanny when Mary Poppins responded to the children’s originally trashed advertisement. The kids said what their parents couldn’t articulate: “If you won’t scold and dominate us, we will never give you cause to hate us.”

If your leaders are trying a top-down approach that doesn’t allow for employee input, the employees are going to respond, but not the way you want them to. You need to provide them with a voice. Leaders should ask employees what they want, and then give them as much of it as is feasible. But ultimately, the “charges” need someone on the inside, someone who can be an apostle among them. They need a Mary Poppins. Let them tell your leaders what that looks like for them.

A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down.

A communicator, like Mary Poppins, should be both optimistic and realistic. Perhaps the only tenant as important as delivering accurate and timely information (which establishes trust and credibility) is never to deliver bad news without some good news too. This really goes to the point that you can never forget to focus on the “what’s in it for me” question. Of course, sometimes there’s no good news, or it pales in comparison to the bad. But that’s when it’s vital to be completely transparent and ensure that employees understand how it will affect their jobs and their lives. Good news is sugar, but frankness is sometimes just as sweet.

Have some fun.

“In every job that must be done there is an element of fun. You find the fun and - snap! - the job’s a game.” Businesses take themselves way too seriously most of the time. Certainly there are industries that impact public health and safety, and where millions of dollars or hundreds of lives are at stake, but every company has a bit of tunnel vision when it comes to getting the job done. I’m not suggesting you make serious objectives a game (although sometimes, that’s completely appropriate). Rather, as an internal communicator, you can ensure that every achievement is celebrated, that the behaviors your leadership values are rewarded, and – most importantly – that employees understand what they do is important. The “fun” part doesn’t have to be a huge company-wide black tie affair. It can be something really small, like having the leadership team personally greet employees as they come to work after a milestone is met. I used to work for an executive who would give individuals or teams “10 second celebrations” by publicly acknowledging an achievement during meetings. Don’t underestimate small gestures in creating an environment of engagement. When employees are rewarded for success, they are more likely to feel connected to the big picture and to work together as a team. And best of all, as communicator, you get to drive the fun part. If you ensure leaders commit to recognition and celebration, ultimately the workforce will be committed not just to the next mission but to the people they work with and the customers they serve.

Tell stories that inspire action.

Before the children go on an outing with their father to his bank, Mary Poppins tells the story of the bird lady, who sells birdseed for tuppence on the steps of a nearby church. The story is told through song and is so compelling to the children they are determined to give the bird lady their money, which sets in motion a series of events that brings everyone involved a new perspective. I’m not suggesting you sing to the employees, but you can find numerous ways to tell stories that inspire and motivate and align employees to a mission or goal. Storytelling is very powerful – whether it’s a newsletter article or a blog post or a video, as a communicator, you have in your toolbox a variety of ways to touch people by telling them stories about themselves as individuals and as an organization, about where they are and where they’re going and how they can get there. You have your messages and your talking points. You’ve worked hard on them and gotten through rounds of executive approvals. If you just read them off, I guarantee you what employees will hear is “BLAH BLAH BLAH.” Make the messages personal by telling a story, and you can move mountains.

Get it done, then get out of the way

At the end of the movie, the children are off in the park, flying a kite happily with their parents, who are savoring the moment of family harmony. They are all so happy that they don’t even acknowledge the contributions of Mary Poppins

Parrot Umbrella: That's gratitude for you. Didn't even say goodbye!Mary Poppins: No, they didn't.Parrot Umbrella: Look at them! You know, they think more of their father than they do of you!Mary Poppins: That's as it should be.

When the job has been done, it’s time to step back and let the organization take care of itself. If you’ve done your job of building bridges and communities, the leadership can take it from there.

This is perhaps the hardest part. You can’t let yourself get carried away and think that you’re actually the one leading people. Your role is to facilitate and direct and connect and provide the glue to the pieces that are already there…and then step back. You have to be personally committed and completely invested in being a catalyst to change and success, but that also means you’ll care very deeply about the people you work with to get there. When you sense it’s time to move on, don’t let sentiment muddle your thinking (as Mary Poppins herself says to her umbrella.)

I once had a job as the sole communicator at a nuclear power plant. I had the most fun of my professional career there because I got a chance to be involved in everything. But most importantly, I had great, wise execs who trusted me and let me be Mary Poppins. They let me help them lead a large employee base to better performance, engagement and alignment. The role I eventually played went way beyond communications, but being the internal communicator is what gave me that opportunity in the first place. When we had achieved success, I had to remind myself that I wasn’t the magic. The leaders and the employees who made themselves a strong organization were the magic. And to this day, though they probably don’t give me a second thought, they still are magical.

That’s as it should be.

Why I Love the Twitter Water Cooler

Yesterday, a follower of mine on Twitter asked if the application was social media, and if not what was it? The first half of the question seemed to have a quite obvious answer (yes. duh.), but the second part got me thinking about the value-add of Twitter in my life.

Most social media, by the definition of the term, allow anybody to reach out to the greater world and involve themselves in communities and causes and communication. You can learn about anything that strikes your interest or furthers your work, and see what other people think about those things. You can share news and links and opinions, and people you've never even met can read them and comment....and a conversation can develop. But Twitter is unique in the social media world because it enables that conversation much more organically and quickly than other forms. Its 140-character limit requires concise points, and just enough internal editing (for most) that you have to think a little bit about what you're going to say - but not so much that it's not authentic. And its portability through various third-party mobile apps makes it something you can do at almost any time.

I'm a very social person generally speaking. Currently, I'm also a communications consultant, though I've spent many years in bricks-and-mortar communities where conversation just happened every day, naturally and regularly. What I miss most about actually working for a company and going to the same place every day is the camaraderie of coworkers and those few minutes spent in the hallway talking about kids and weekends or after meetings delving deeper into a problem or issue. I miss the "water cooler." I have never in my life actually gathered around one (the coffee machine, maybe), but I miss the chatter and the connection with people who share a common cause. I miss learning about other people and what makes them tick. I miss the team concept of tackling a problem and honoring other insights. I miss the awesome little surprises about coworkers, when you find out someone you thought was nothing like you shares a passion for reading, or when someone you barely know compliments you on your work or gives you an opportunity for learning.

It's lonely out here in the work-from-home world, if you don't work at it. There's peace and quiet when you need to focus on something, and there's the ability to stay in your jammies and put off showering until 4 p.m. if you don't have to meet with a client, and there's the flexibility to sit in the sun in the middle of a conference call. But there's a big downside, too, if you're at your best when connecting with others.

The last time in my circuitous work path that I did the consulting gig, despite all the benefits, I couldn't wait to get out of it, to be around people all the time instead of just a couple of times a week. I'm a pretty high-energy, impatient person. In the real world, when I start a conversation, I want to know people are listening to me. And when I want to get involved with a current one, I don't always want to have to wait for a response. My impatience for lags in conversation extends to the virtual world in many ways. I often get frustrated waiting for bloggers or their readers to check the comments and rebut or agree, for example. I want real people involved, right now.

So now I use Twitter as my water cooler. Much like a physical workplace, it's a vibrant, diverse, community that gives me the perfect mix of business and information and personal connection. I can stick my head over a professional follower's virtual cube and get a quick and dirty new perspective on a project. I can ask local tweeps if they know a really good mechanic, if they've eaten at a certain restaurant and what the food's like, or where the best place is to buy locally grown produce. I can chat about the books I've read and get recommendations from other readers. I can get into heated political conversations with both those who share my views and those who don't. And all of it is at my fingertips (or my thumbs, if I'm on the BlackBerry), any time I want or need that water cooler break.

I know not everybody uses Twitter this way -- there's certainly a bunch of accounts out there that just want to sell something or collect as many followers as possible or otherwise feed their narcissism. But I am genuinely interested in everyone I follow, and I learn a ton every day. I want to bring them the same kind of value I receive from them, to engage in conversation and to interact and build actual relationships with real people. Twitter keeps me sane and happy and smart in what could be -- has been in the past -- a lonely profession. I sincerely hope I'm a small part of the solution for some of them, too.

So for the freelancers, the writers, the consultants and the telecommuters out there who are feeling alone and missing that daily water-cooler connection, I offer a solution for a virtual one that has all the rewards of the real-life, burbly one. And for those of you already in my Twitter circle, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

(You can be part of April's water cooler on Twitter by following @aprilschilpp)

Social Media and Stupid Employees - Whose Fault is It?

Saw a total awesome blog post today: Gigaom's Stacey Higgenbottom's stats-filled "Biggest Danger on Social Networks isn't Hackers It's Dumb Employees."

The blog itself mentioned certain well-known examples (such as poor Domino's and its disgusting ex-employees' YouTube video) of this danger, and the very interesting graphic accompanying the post showed that "disinformation" and "leaking of information" (by employees, we presume) were by far the biggest sources of harmful "attacks" to companies via new media.

In reading the post, I was in full agreement about the risk the every-increasingly "social" aspect to the web , but I was a little disappointed that no one addressed my biggest question, which is what should an employer do about this very real threat?

Social media is here to stay, and more and more people are destined to get involved in it. The only solution I hear from most employers involves blocking access to all avenues of social networking on company computers.

Um, really? Sure, this solves the problem at work (sort of). But is it really possible to prohibit individuals' participation in social media just because those individuals are your employees? I think not.

In fact, I think even trying to control an employee's behavior outside of work is just asking for trouble. Sure, go ahead and block Twitter and Facebook from employees' computers....it might help with that pesky "productivity loss" statistic. But unless you can control what employees do on their *own* time with their own computers and mobile devices, all you'll do is make them more determined to have a voice. (Employees don't take kindly to "big brother" employer techniques, and the forbidden fruit always tastes the sweetest, anyway.)

If you're an employer who is very worried about this risk is, I've got some very practical advice.

First, get out of your little self-absorbed bubble and educate yourself. Your fear is irrational. You must overcome it. In my experience, most corporate muckety-mucks are terrified of social media because they think it means they can't control every word that is said about their company. Anyone who has a life outside of work realizes that's just silly -corporate muckety-mucks have never controlled what people say about a company. People have always said stuff, good and bad, whether you want them to or not. Now, through various new media, regular people can say those same things to an instant, potentially global audience. The old adage about new media is true: "The conversations are happening whether you're a part of them or not. Isn't it better to be part of them?"

Second, make your policies clear about who can officially speak for the company and who cannot, and about what kind of information is shareable and what is proprietary. This stuff is most likely already on the books in HR somewhere, so dredge it up and repackage it for today's information-sharing world. Educate workers in how to participate responsibly in social media, whether or not they intend to talk about their work. (In fact, providing a training or informal info session on new media for employees could be a great way to connect with them and reinforce your company line at the same time.) And by all means, ensure employees know the consequences of failing to follow company guidelines.

And finally, look to thineself first. If your external image or brand takes a hit from a disgruntled or misinformed worker, by all means, whip out the big guns, set them to "damage-control" mode, and fix it as best you can. But consider prevention next. And I don't mean just firing the guy who posted something disgusting on YouTube in the first place (although that may be a warranted move).Take a really hard, self-critical look at the actual cause of the problem. Is that person a typical employee, or does everybody secretly feel the same? If most of your employees love coming to work, are fully aligned with and informed about the company's goals, and are engaged in the company's culture and mission, then the risk of harm from their forays into social media is very slim. In fact, those employees are your greatest advocates, and you probably want them to tell the world how awesome your company is. But if you can't trust your people, it's because you have created an environment of fear, disharmony, distrust, or disillusionment -- or some other morale-sucking emotion. In that case, my friend, blocking MySpace or some other website ain't gonna help. And you have a right to be afraid.