Links of the Week is a selection of articles and blog posts about #EmployeeEngagement and #Millennials that were the most popular on my Twitter feed this week. I’ve added some personal thoughts and opinions to the links below as well.

#1

Employee Engagement Is More Important Than the Customer (Entrepreneur)

Problems don’t begin with customers. They start with you and your employees. When customers expect a fantastic experience but receive a third-rate one, you can lose them forever.

We spend a lot of time discussing how to satisfy our customers and even exceed their expectations. But what about our employees? If you think about it, they’re really the first customers that you have in a business. So treating them like customers by asking for and providing feedback frequently, communicating your goals, and celebrating achievements help lay the foundation for a more engaged employee leading to a happy customer.

#2

Why Values (Not Perks) Define Your Startup Culture (Forbes)

By defining your values and culture based on the perks you offer, you’re sending the message that your company values following the latest trends rather than a being intentional about the deeper beliefs of your company culture.

Culture needs to be at the top of the list that startups need to be aware of. Culture is built through proactive decisions and actions and if you start letting perks and salary define the “culture” of your company you start going down a slippery slope. Delivering Happiness by the CEO of Zappos is a great book to read on this topic. You can also read my summary of the book if you don’t have time to read the whole book.

 

#3

How call centers can improve employee engagement (CustomerThink)

In the outsourcing field, for instance, call centers cultivate friendships among their workforce as a way to reduce stress, increase productivity, ensure employee loyalty, and reduce their attrition rates.

Call centers are difficult places to foster employee engagement due to the monotonous and often thankless tasks that agents need to complete. The article has some great ideas for call center leaders to improve engagement including initiating short talks and conversations, planning team building activities, and highlighting the need for training. I know, not revolutionary, but the intention is important. If you provide the space for agents to have open dialogue and develop relationships with others, you provide a better working environment.

#4

The Best of Patrick Lencioni (Actionable Books)

“The biggest problem with our meetings, and meetings in general, is structure,” writes Lencioni. And his next point may surprise you. “Our problem is not that we’re having too many meetings. Our problem is that we’re having too few of them.” So, how many meetings should we be having?

This was probably the most eye-opening quote. Lencioni describes four different types of meetings that we should be having on a regular basis: 1) Daily Check-In. 2) The Weekly Tactical. 3) The Monthly Strategic. 4) The Monthly Retreat. These are great foundational meetings for managers to be scheduling in with their teams.

#5

Notice What You See and Be a Hero at Work (Margery Leveen Sher)

I define Noticing as “mindfulness with a smile.” Being aware of what’s around you. Opening your eyes and seeing what we often miss because we are so busy checking off to-do lists and items on our calendars.

Great reminder about the importance of noticing. Noticing shows that you care about your work, your colleagues, and your company. Margery Leveen Sher describes how there are two types of things you can notice – “broccoli” or “zippers”. Read on to find out what those mean.

That’s it for the weekly wrap-up. Hope you all have a great upcoming week!