Surviving and flourishing in today’s business environment increasingly demands more of the supply chain professional, including excelling at soft and technical skills.
According to a 2013 Gallup poll, 70% of U.S. workers are not engaged. What a startling statistic! Through observation of clients, trade association members, and colleagues, I’d agree with that statistic.
During my presentation at APICS 2014 on “Empowering and Engaging Employees”, we broke into small groups to discuss strategies for achieving these objectives. A few of the top tips to keep in mind include:
- Vision: Clarify the vision. Where are you and the company headed – everyone wants to understand their destination.
- Top Goals: Help your employees come up with 3 key goals for the next quarter. If you are the employee, take 3 key goals to your manager to review. You’ll see how what you’re doing fits in with the vision.
- Provide the freedom to experiment: Employees want to know that they can have an effect on their work and that their ideas are heard. Provide opportunities for employees to test new ideas. Accept that failure is a part of the process.
- Encourage collaboration: Who doesn’t enjoy a good brainstorming session and coming up with ideas that can make a difference?
- Celebrate success: Appreciate the seemingly small stuff that plays a pivotal role in achieving success.