Every April, the SF Business Times announces the Bay Area Best Places to work winners. 125 companies are chosen based on their employees’ evaluations of how satisfied they are in their workplace. The question always crosses my mind: “I wonder if these companies are using similar approaches to engage their employees?”

In July 2011, I set out to answer this question by telephoning and meeting with a sample of Bay Area human resource executives and winners in these top companies. They answered my question: Yes, they do share common strategies. The surprise was that most methods are cost effective and require little time to implement.

Best Places to Work Award winners that I interviewed shared the following key commonalities:

• Transparent leadership involvement
• Interactive and consistent communication channels
• Engaged employees who are asked what is important to them
• Human Resource Departments that were passionate business partners
• Community and family focus with an emphasis on enjoying work
• Competitive benefits and flexibility

The following eight suggestions represent strategies that these companies implemented to keep their employees satisfied, engaged and aligned:

1. Facilitate special interest groups (exercise, games, cooking) to enhance community and cross-functional interaction. Increase number and variety of employee engagement activities.
2. Offer brainstorm sessions and surveys for ways to engage employees and also involve them in solving company issues.
3. Offer educational, career and special interest opportunities (mentoring, training, partial tuition reimbursement, professional association dues).
4. Add flex time, holiday time off, or other ways to recognize balance of work-family life.
5. Introduce relationships and work with non-profits (Habitat for Humanity, Breast Cancer Walk, holiday gift giving, soup kitchens).
6. Schedule regular town hall meetings or other ways for leaders and employees to connect with each other.
7. Remove ratings from performance reviews.
8. Encourage employees to give honest feedback on initiatives and respond to communication received.

None of these ideas are revolutionary, yet taken together, they convey to the employee: You matter. Once an employer gets that across and keeps reinforcing it, loyalty and alignment ensue. I began with the idealistic notion that I would discover the one perfect strategy and finished being reminded of the wisdom of the author Robert Collier: “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”

To read more about my research, click here.

Allow me to offer a homey simile of vision and goals from my childhood. In my small town, summertime would find my friend’s mother hanging her clean sheets on a sturdy rope hung between two trees. Without this efficient system of drying– clothespins and a sturdy rope hung between those trees–the sheets would not dry as quickly. For those of you who are asking, “What about a dryer?” I ask, “Have you ever slept between line-dried sheets on a warm summer night?” If so, you’ll understand why the memory has special meaning.

This folksy reflection provides a modern-day analogy to vision-setting and goals. It is the rope (vision) that supports the sheets (goals). Without an over-arching vision, goals don’t necessarily hang together: The sturdy support must come first. To complete this image, those same sheets are folded and put away, and this step can be compared to the action steps that flow from those goals.

Here is a more contemporary business-related example. In 2004, I realized that without a better understanding of technology, my training and consulting business may not offer my clients the most value in the future. It would have been easy to jump into setting a new goal of reading articles or attending a conference on technology. Instead, I spent some time thinking about a long-term vision that would serve both the business and the clients. The vision: To help managers become leaders and employees become engaged. This broad vision informed my goal-setting process.

I considered that technology, when used properly, can facilitate better communication and engagement–both key ingredients to strong leadership. It then became clear that I must enhance my skills and education in technology. Therefore, one of my goals for 2004 became: “Enroll in a course of study where my technological skills and knowledge become more proficient.”

The action steps that flowed out of this goal were to: 1) do research to find the right program; 2) go through the application process; and 3) get accepted at my designated choice. These individual action steps resulted in my reaching the goal of a Master’s in Instructional Technology….an experience that made me more comfortable and skilled in cutting-edge technology with a network of tech-savvy colleagues to partner with on client’s projects. Reaching that goal fulfills the vision of helping managers become leaders and employees become engaged.

My suggestion is: Don’t short-change yourself by simply developing some new goals…be bolder!

After all, in the Bay Area we have a reputation to uphold…

“We’re gambling on our vision, and we would rather do that than make “me too” products. Let some other companies do that. For us, it’s always the next dream.” – Steve Jobs, 1983

Take the time to develop your vision. Goals without vision are only labor. A vision without goals is only a dream. But vision with goals will be ambition fulfilled. Inhale deeply the boundless opportunities of a New Year!

For some like me, back to school may mean continuing your education at the mid-point of your life. From 2005 to 2009 I went back to school to earn my Master’s Degree and in those four years learned many strategies on how to balance school with work and also keep a happy home life. Given the variety and volume of schools in the Bay Area, San Francisco State University, University of San Francisco, UC Berkeley, Golden Gate University and more, you may be enrolled in either a graduate program or recontinuing your undergraduate degree.

Tips you might find useful:

School Friends

• Make friends quickly at school with other students to enable you to form study groups for later in the semester when large projects or exams require group-work.
• Consider that school friends may become future collaborators in your chosen career field. The learning at school can continue long after the last class is completed.

Homework

• Identify at least one (and maybe more) designated time(s) each week that everyone in the family knows is study time. For me that time was 11am-5pm on Sundays. I would eat a big breakfast and stop mid-point for a short walk and then get back to it.
• Identify at least two days during the week when you can study during lunchtime. These days may change, so be modest about making lunch plans except with those who can handle last-minute changes.

Family and Work

• Post your school hours in a prominent place at home so that members of your family know when you will be gone—this new schedule is an adjustment for everyone, not just you.
• Carry your cell phone to class and if necessary, check in with the family or co-workers on your break time.
• Remind your loved ones (who will miss you) why you are going to school. Will it result in a better job, lifestyle, happier attitude? Although not perhaps immediately, your family will ultimately benefit from your education.
• Remember to thank your family and co-workers for any sacrifices and changes they make to help you along.

And finally, as my husband likes to tell me with everything in life, “Have fun”!

How do you keep your group motivated when monies have been reduced, friends are gone and work has increased? Your team may feel like they are putting more into their jobs and that the rewards may not match their effort. Be honest and let your staff know the situation you are in and your desire to help them stay engaged and motivated.

There are numerous ways to recognize people besides money. Compensating good performance may require “psychological paychecks.” Consider the following list of psychological paychecks. Some involve small amounts of money.

Make sure to spend generously with:

• Words of encouragement and positive feedback
• Interest and questions to them about their lives outside of their work roles
• Notes or e-mails of appreciation
• Catered lunches
• Bagels, coffee, fruit at the beginning of the day
• Special assignments
• Soliciting opinions and their recommendations
• More decision-making authority
• Listening…really listening
• Delegating tasks that the employee enjoys doing
• Recognition for your team’s efforts in company newsletter or meetings
• Accurate and regular communication about effective dates and timelines of the changes and resulting impact
• Special recognition for those who are working hardest
• Meetings where group and you can discuss changes, issues and concerns

A terrific book to help you with more ideas is local (Santa Cruz) author Cindy Ventrice’s Make Their Day: Employee Recognition That Works, 2nd edition.

When it comes to handing out “soft” currency, be generous. Some or all of these are needed right now to keep your group motivated.

A recent headline announced: “Respect Is Name of Bochy’s Game.” The article quoted one of the Giants players: “He doesn’t play favorites by sucking up to guys going good or blowing off guys who are struggling.” Zito, pitcher for the San Francisco Giants who has experienced both conditions lately, went on to say, “One of his greatest attributes is he knows where to draw the line as far as being friendly with players and being authoritative with players. Communication is so important, and he tells his guys where they stand. It’s all we want to know.”

Is respect the key ingredient in the secret sauce? Absolutely! But respect is a big ideal. What does it look like? Watching Bochy being interviewed after a disappointing performance gives us a few clues. He makes statements to the press similar to: “He had an off night but he’ll get back to it tomorrow” or “He just cares so much he is freezing up” or “He has been working so hard that he needs a few days off.” While discussing his players, this manager always seems to have their backs.

On occasion, I react with a “What? This player is making millions of dollars—and he needs a few days off?” Yet inevitably the same player returns a few days later with better performance and a renewed spirit. While not everyone can give their employees time off when they seemed stressed, the underlying psychology seems to work. Realizing that poor performance may be a symptom of other issues is a good place to start. In my own experience, the best managers I worked my heart out for were the same ones who cut me a break when they could see my energy was flagging.

Naturally, discretion is important. Another tip from Bochy’s play book is that he will reward a good performance with a return performance. When members of his team play well, they get to play again. In other words, his compassion is blended with practicality….two more good ingredients in the manager’s secret sauce.

To sum up the skipper’s success:

• Take into account the situation and the individual,
• Communicate honestly and with respect,
• Allow for mistakes but reward success, and
• Live to see another…championship?

He is creating another winning team, and borrowing his secret sauce can help you create champions, too!

Why is it important to engage your employees? In the well-regarded book, 12:The Elements of Great Managing, author Rodd Wagner, principal of Gallup (of Gallup Polls) reports that engaged employees average 27% less absenteeism than those who are disengaged. Wagner also reports that in a 10,000-person company, absenteeism from disengagement costs the business about 5,000 lost days, or about $600,000, annually.

And according to a 2007 Florida State University study, when managers manage poorly, 40% of employees leave their bosses, not their jobs.

Here are some common behaviors that engaging managers practice:

• Solicit advice from your team on problems.
• Work with employees to use team decisions.
• Understand how each employee likes to receive information. Some individuals like personal meetings, telephone, e-mail or text messages.
• When tempted to be directive, consider whether this is the best way to proceed. Whenever possible, handle the issue with a more collaborative approach.
• Use “we” when talking about your work group or discussing successful results. Your team is what makes you successful and praising them to others also benefits everybody.
• In meetings, encourage rotating facilitators among your staff. You do not always need to lead meetings.
• Ask employees to discuss their responsibilities with the entire group so that everyone knows where overlap occurs and how common problems can be solved.
• Discuss job issues and involve employees in designing goals and objectives for the upcoming year.
• Look for opportunities for employees to receive direct praise.
• Make sure that everyone who contributes is mentioned on reports and memos. Public recognition is important.

A big part of a manager’s role is to help facilitate employee success. Ask yourself, “What motivates my employee?” It has been proven that when employees are motivated and happy, productivity and performance go up.

And when performance needs improvement, look for the positive that can come out of offering information. Most people don’t know that they are performing at less than capacity. Frame constructive feedback as a long term opportunity for staff to grow in their career.

Ghandi said, “Be the change you wish to see.” Beyond building a stronger team, your engaging manager style might help many people (including you) become more productive and happier at work.