Team Resources: Employee Engagement Strategy Interview Marketing, Branding and Sales Expert Chad RothschildThis interview covers employee engagement strategy and insight from marketing, branding and sales expert Chad Rothschild.
Chad and I first met at Toastmasters and what struck me the most about him is his earnest desire to add value, his approachable and happy demeanor and his interesting background in professional sports. Chad's passionate about providing employee engagement strategy insights to help individuals and organizations win. He really understands and specializes in social media, demand generation, branding, branding merchandise and loyalty & points recognition programs. I think you'll feel Chad's passion and energy come across in this interview. Find out how he invests time in himself, how theleadership conversation is changing and how important attitude is to any successful employee engagement strategy.Enjoy! Suzie: Chad, Thank you for taking time to share your employee engagement strategy insights with us in this interview. Let's start with what you’re passionate about in your work, along with what you do and why you do it. Also, tell us about a hobby or interest that you have, outside of work. Chad: The one word that describes me is passionate. I believe if you find what you love to do and spendevery day working to perfect it, you will never work a day in your life. I am excited everyday to work at being a master of my craft. I am a marketing, branding and sales expert. I work everyday to get better. I am immersed in the journey. I do not focus on today, but rather where I want to be tomorrow. My greatest asset is me. So I spend a lot of time investing in myself. Studying, reading, researching and learning more. Nobody has to ask me to get up, clock in and go to work. I am the first in and last out. The early bird gets the worm, the harder I work, the luckier I get. My favorite hobby is my son. Whether we are playing games, reading together, coaching him in sports or playing in the front yard. I do not get a better joy in life. Key Employee Engagement Strategy:"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you." ---Dale Carnegie Suzie: In your blog, you share employee engagement strategy insights. How do you define engagement? What can companies do to engage their employees? Chad: The way we communicate is changing. It is really going from more of a vertical to horizontal format. Management has always basically broadcast their message to the employees in a one- way direction. There is a wall present between upper management and its employees. A very authoritarian style. I picture management in an upper office on a top floor talking and getting on the paging system telling employees what to do, how to feel and what they think. The employees have no way to communicate back. The good news for companies and management, it is not rocket science to change the paradigm.Engagement is the new way to communicate. It is a two way street. It requires active listening by the company & its management. This will help them gain understanding - If we don’t understand what drives our employees and clients, how can we expect to help and add value to them. Those are the passions that drive them It would make nomore sense for your organization to speak a different language. This goes deeper than the surface and gets to the core. One of the most valuable things that comes out of that is they will know the strengths of their employees and really get them in positions they will excel in and then all you have to do is turn them loose.I have seen organizations turned upside down by just getting their employees in the right positions that fit that employee's strengths. Then you get them involved in the process. Let them help collaborate and shape the mission, direction & strategy.This will really get them committed because they are now participants. They feel connected and will advocate your brand. This gets us to the heart of engagement because now you showed them that you care and appreciate them. They are valuable to the organization. Their voice matters. Most employees leave a company because they do not feel they are cared about. People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. The process does not end then. It is a sustained effort. You must reinforce this two way dialogue. It is not a sprint, but rather a journey. Set goals and action steps. Be firm but flexible. Set times though out the year to re-look where you are and adjust accordingly to always improve. "You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, Suzie: In all your work as a sports professional and now as a corporate executive - how important is it for employees to feel and be engaged by and about their team and company? What happens when people are not engaged? What’s the impact when there's no employee engagement strategy? Chad: Greatest asset and investment of any company is its employees. Being engaged and excited about your workis everything. We know from tons of data that engaged employees produce higher productivity, better customer service, better profitability and overall value to the company. We know that companies are not engaging their work force. I believe companies can not afford any longer to put their employees on the back burner. The cost is too high. Employee Engagement Strategy: From the Company Standpoint, they need to look at their teams and make sure every person is an A performer. In the book Good To Great, he stresses the importance of having the right people on the bus. You are only as good as your weakest link. So put all your emphasis on the first team & high performers. If someone is not on the first team, they need to be working to get there or be removed. Employee Engagement Strategy: From the Employee Standpoint – and I want you to listen to me. I do not care what company you work for or what your position is in that company. You are the CEO of “your” company... ME Inc. You are your own brand. So every person needs to invest in themselves and go to work with the attitude that every action & decision is important. The greatest thing about attitude is it’s a CHOICE. We get to choose everyday how we are going to react. Life is really 1% what happens and 99% how we respond. Not only will your employees thank you, but so will your customers. Key Employee Engagement Strategy for everyone: "I CAN is 100 times more important than IQ"
Chad: When people feel like they are wanted, respected and included, they feel connected to the company which in turn you create an affinity or a strong connection with your employees and clients. The stronger the understanding the closer you naturally become. You are an advocate and more passionate. A tight knit community.
I love that question. To answer it, you really have to look at why you are not waking up eager. Is it because you don’t feel fulfilled in life, no purpose, just going through the motions, ordon’t feel your self worth is high? If an answer was yes to any of those then a re-examination is definitely needed. People feel purpose when they feel they are part of something bigger than themselves. They believe in something. They are passionate, connected and committed. Start with your Self concept. This is how you feel about yourself if you strip away everything. It is not about what you have, definitely not what others think or perceive you to be. It is about being comfortable in your own skin. Knowing you are enough. Being content where you are in life. Attitude is a choice. It is a conscious decision. A couple of individual employee engagement strategy suggestions -
Suzie: What do you think are the things that stop most people from waking up eager more often, from even having their own employee engagement strategy? Chad: Control. Who is in control & responsible for your life? There are people who want & hope things happen, people who watch things happen and people who make things happen. Easier to make excuses than takeresponsibility. You have to take ownership of your life. Everyone is given different sets of circumstances.Do not wait for someone else to take charge, step up. The world does not owe you anything. Fear. The biggest reason I see for failure. Afraid of the what ifs. Afraid of what other people are going to say or do. Afraid of bad things happening. Afraid of being mediocre. We just paralyze ourselves with fear. Focus. We focus on the problems of yesterday rather than the hope of tomorrow. We focus on what we don’t have rather than being grateful for the great things we do have. We focus on external things that we have zerocontrol over. We focus on things without substance when things that are the most important are right there in front of you. "Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing."
Chad: I believe you have to continuously improve. Continue to learn. I continuously Set Goals. Where I need to do better is resting, slowing down once in a while.
I try to add value to people. I share my thoughts, ideas, insights and best practices. I hope to inspire people. Get them to believe in themselves and be a change agent. Chad: I share only valued information at: My website. I am a marketing and branding expert and can be contacted by email at: Chad.Rothschild@summitmarketing.com Or you can connect with me here: Essentials and Self Motivation Tips, Click here. Check out this resource, a powerful online team building and coaching program, My Inspiration4Life. To read my review of this program, read this article on workplace motivation. I add new employee engagement strategy materials every week. Keep up to update by clicking on our RSS feed (see the orange and green box, upper left). Or sign up to receive one time a month email updates via the Priceless Points newsletter, here:
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