A while back I wrote about how Jim Schwartz of the Detroit Lions and James Franklin at Vanderbilt University had managed to change the culture and expectations of their respective football programs. Well, the Lions are still in the thick of the playoff race and Vanderbilt became bowl eligible for only the fifth time in the history of the program with a win on Saturday at Wake Forest.
It got me thinking about how aligned they were with the authors of the book I just finished reading, The Enemy of Engagement. The authors say that, “By successfully connecting three things – people, strategy, and culture – CEOs can improve their business results, enhance employee productivity, and increase the likelihood of achieving their business objectives.”
Isn’t that what Schwartz and Franklin have done? As CEOs of their football programs they have linked these three keys to create this new Detroit Lions and Vanderbilt Commodores. This stuff works, and it gets results.
To achieve the synergy between these, the authors insist that engagement and enablement MUST go hand in hand. Their postulation asserts that you can have engaged employees but if you don’t have people in the right jobs with the tools they need (that’s what they mean by enabling), their frustration can lead to disengagement and ultimately separation from the organization.
Let’s understand something critical to the success of making this happen: the employees (the players in the cases of Schwartz and Franklin) have to be willing to do their part too. It works the same way in organizations of all kinds. The employees can’t be baby birds waiting to be fed; they have to be active participants in working the plan and making it happen too. If you need something, ask for it. If you want to know more, ask questions.
When Vandy was preparing to play Tennessee a couple of weeks ago there was a story in the Tennessean in the days leading up to the game featuring an interview with sophomore defensive end Walker May. He was asked what it would mean to become bowl eligible and May said, “It would be real cool for these seniors. If it happens, it happens. But we’re just focused on this game. One game at a time.”
May was asked if Coach Franklin handed out scripts when his players were going to face the media, and he replied, “We’re just consistent with our message.” This second-year player (a fairly new employee, right?) understands the company mission and vision and knows how to articulate its application. Shouldn’t all employees be able to do that within their organizations? It’s a shared responsibility between employees and their managers at all levels.
Yes, managers can oftentimes do a better job of communicating. Too often there’s an assumption that “I know what’s going on, so everyone else does too.” Or it may be that they have been exposed to the message so much that they assume everyone else has too. Here’s the thing; if you’re not getting the information you need to understand where the company’s headed and how you fit in, ask for it.
Get involved, and do your part. Be an active participant in understanding the people, strategy, and culture of your company.
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