OCTOBER 2018CIOAPPLICATIONS.COM8DARRELL EDWARDS, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT & CHIEF SUPPLY CHAIN OFFICER, LA-Z-BOY INCORPORATEDaving led teams for many years, I have learned a few things about building engagement among winning teams in the workplace (I have learned a few things not to do too). The most effective organizational engagement strategies, the ones that seem to create the greatest buy-in from employees are usually the simplest ones. Surprisingly, when it comes to increasing employee engagement within the workplace, it can be as easy as executing a few fundamental concepts very well, which by the way, at times, can be hard to do. With that said, here are a few ideas worth a look, and just maybe worth a try somewhere within your supply chain.It's as Simple as CommunicationSomeone once said the three most important words in any business relationship are communication, communication, communication....as cliché as this sounds, there's more truth in this statement than not. But if communication is so important, why isn't it practiced within organizations more often? Frankly, because really effective communication is hard work, actually, it is very hard work. Moreover, the benefit of communication can often have a delayed impact. Meaning, the investment of time required initially may not seem worth the effort, as it may be a while before behavior change occurs. Unfortunately, this is a misguided belief, as invariably with most initiatives, you will invest the time regardless, either through planning on the front-end or through repairing the collateral damage on the back-end. Perhaps the most impactful way to engage your team may be through the seemingly mundane day to day interactions. Every day wonderful small engagement opportunities present themselves for us to seize, we just need to be engaged enough ourselves to capitalize on them. It might be as simple as speaking to someone who walks by your office, or engaging someone while on a phone call about an unrelated subject, or having a plant-wide town hall meeting. Whatever the situation, by simply showing genuine interest in your team, you can build goodwill and solidify the type of engagement and loyalty that winning supply chain organizations aspire to achieve.Another tremendously powerful engagement tool is the written word, more specifically, the written note. Penning a few lines on a note card acknowledging some worthy accomplishment can build profound followership and employee engagement. Few gestures are more meaningful within the workplace than a personal note written to someone well deserving; it can create an incredibly powerful connection. Just remember, small personal gestures communicate caring from you as a leader, and subsequently builds employee engagement within the workplace.Serve Those You LeadFew management styles are more effective than people in leadership positions serving those who are on their team; simply put; serving those you lead. Listening sincerely to concerns from your team and then acting on the information builds confidence and trust, and oh, by the way, helps the business get better too. This concept of serving others can provide one of the most powerful engagement strategies deployed by any organization. People become invested in people and organizations that are Four Paths to Increasing Employee Engagement within Your Supply Chain TeamHDarrell EdwardsIN MY VIEW
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