“I am good at planning. I am good at delegating. I am good at making decisions, but I am not good at this warm and fuzzy stuff,” explained Ellen. We had been talking about her new department. The grapevine said some people were nervous and some might quit if they didn’t like her.

“Look, the point of management is not to win a personality contest, but if you want to get people engaged in their work, you have to get engaged with them.” I stopped to see if Ellen had a pulse. I could see by her body language that this was uncomfortable.

“But, I always thought it best not to get too close to my people. It just seems easier to be objective if I don’t really know too much about them, especially their personal lives,” Ellen continued.

“It seems easier to be objective? Or it just seems easier to be insensitive?” I asked. “The point is not be a huggy bear. The point is to gain willing cooperation from your team members, both together and as individuals.

“Does your company have a mission statement?” Ellen nodded.

“And does your department have its own mission statement?”

“Yes,” Ellen replied.

“Do things work better if the team mission statement supports the company mission statement?”

“Well, of course.”

“Ellen, believe it or not, your team members have their own personal mission statements. For most it is just rattling around in their head. Would things work better if their personal mission statement supports the team mission statement?”

“Well, I suppose, but how do I find that out?”

“That’s what engagement is all about. If you want your team to be engaged in their work, you have to be engaged with them. Meet me here tomorrow. We will talk about how to do that with the most powerful tool you have as a manager.” -TF

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Spaces are filling for our Management program (www.workingmanagement.com) which kicks off September 25. I would also like to announce our new Sales program (www.workingsales.com) which kicks off here in Fort Lauderdale on September 27. Find out more by visiting the links.