Engaged Action Planning | Reality-Based Toolkit
Summary
TLDRIn this insightful talk, Alex Tor, VP of People Evolution at Reality-Based Leadership, introduces the Engaged Action Planning Tool, designed to enhance workplace engagement by integrating accountability with employee desires. The tool addresses the common pitfall of focusing solely on perfecting conditions, which can lead to entitlement and chaos. By asking employees what they are willing to do to achieve their desired workplace improvements, the tool fosters a culture of shared responsibility, ultimately leading to a more sustainable and productive work environment.
Takeaways
- 🛠 The 'Engaged Action Planning Tool' is designed to foster clarity and improve mental processes amidst chaos.
- 🔄 There is a need to balance employee engagement with accountability to prevent entitlement and maintain a healthy workplace culture.
- 📈 Traditional engagement strategies may have flaws, focusing too much on perfecting circumstances and leading to workplace chaos.
- 💡 The tool encourages self-reflection and accountability by asking team members what they are willing to do to achieve their desired workplace improvements.
- 📝 Start with a list of employee suggestions from engagement surveys to identify what they want to improve in the workplace.
- 🤔 The process involves a pause for reflection, where team members are asked to consider their contributions to the desired changes, which can lead to a powerful shift in mindset.
- 📉 Overemphasis on fulfilling employee requests without accountability can lead to a cycle of unmet expectations and entitlement.
- 📈 The tool helps to bypass the ego and tap into a more constructive part of the brain, promoting a better mental process for problem-solving.
- 📋 After identifying what team members are willing to do, leaders can then determine how they can support these efforts with their resources and decision-making power.
- 🔑 Accountability is key to sustainable engagement; the tool helps leaders to implement this by focusing on what team members are willing to contribute.
- 🔄 The Engaged Action Planning Tool is a transformative approach to action planning that can change the way teams approach surveys and engagement efforts.
Q & A
What is the primary purpose of the Engaged Action Planning Tool discussed in the script?
-The Engaged Action Planning Tool is designed to help organizations achieve a balance between employee engagement and accountability. It aims to clarify what can be improved in the workplace and encourages individuals to take responsibility for their part in creating those improvements.
Why is the balance between engagement and accountability important in an organization?
-The balance is crucial because focusing solely on engagement without considering accountability can lead to entitlement and dissatisfaction among employees. It's essential to ensure that while employees are engaged and motivated, they also understand their role in contributing to the organization's success.
What is the potential negative outcome of focusing too much on perfecting circumstances in the workplace without emphasizing accountability?
-Overemphasizing perfecting circumstances without accountability can create a sense of entitlement among employees. This may lead to a cycle of constant demands and dissatisfaction, as employees may feel they are owed improvements without considering what they can do to contribute positively.
How does the Engaged Action Planning Tool address the issue of entitlement in the workplace?
-The tool addresses entitlement by introducing a step where employees are asked what they are willing to do to achieve the improvements they desire. This question prompts self-reflection and accountability, shifting the focus from what the organization should do to what individuals can contribute.
What is the significance of making the list of desired improvements visible to the entire team?
-Making the list visible helps the entire team to see the collective goals and aspirations. It promotes transparency and encourages a shared sense of responsibility and commitment towards achieving those improvements.
How does the Engaged Action Planning Tool differ from traditional engagement surveys?
-Unlike traditional engagement surveys that may focus solely on identifying what employees want, the Engaged Action Planning Tool goes a step further by also asking employees what they are willing to do to achieve those wants. This addition fosters a culture of shared accountability.
What is the role of leadership in implementing the Engaged Action Planning Tool?
-Leaders play a crucial role in facilitating the use of the tool, guiding the team through the process of identifying improvements, reflecting on personal contributions, and supporting the team's efforts with resources and decision-making power when appropriate.
Can you provide an example of how the tool might be used in practice?
-An example given in the script is when an employee wanted more transparency in the organization. After reflecting on what they could do to contribute to this, they admitted to lying about being sick and committed to being more transparent in the future, which is a personal action they are willing to take.
What is the significance of the 'what are you willing to do' question in the Engaged Action Planning Tool?
-This question is significant because it shifts the focus from what the organization needs to do to what each individual is willing to contribute. It encourages personal accountability and can lead to creative solutions and a more engaged workforce.
How does the tool help to avoid the cycle of constant demands from employees?
-By asking employees what they are willing to do to achieve the desired improvements, the tool helps to establish a sense of shared responsibility. This can prevent the cycle of constant demands, as it makes employees consider their part in the process and promotes a more sustainable approach to workplace improvements.
What is the final step in the Engaged Action Planning Tool process after identifying what employees are willing to do?
-The final step is for leadership to identify what they can do to support the team's willingness and efforts. This could involve providing resources, access to decision-making, or other forms of support, but only after a shared sense of accountability and willingness has been established.
Outlines
📈 Enhancing Engagement Through Accountability
In this paragraph, Alex, the vice president of People Evolution at Reality-Based Leadership, introduces the Engaged Action Planning Tool. The tool is designed to address the issue of organizations focusing too heavily on employee engagement without considering the crucial element of accountability. The speaker argues that this overemphasis on perfecting circumstances can lead to chaos and entitlement in the workplace. The tool aims to integrate accountability into the process of improving workplace conditions, thereby preventing entitlement and fostering a more sustainable and productive environment. Alex also references a keynote and a podcast episode for those interested in a deeper understanding of the philosophy behind this approach.
🤔 The Power of Self-Reflection and Accountability
This paragraph delves into the mechanics of the Engaged Action Planning Tool. It suggests starting with a list of employee suggestions from engagement surveys and then prompting them to consider what they are willing to do to achieve these improvements. The process is designed to provoke self-reflection and encourage a sense of shared responsibility. The speaker shares anecdotes of employees who, after some time, came up with personal actions they could take to contribute to the desired changes, such as being more transparent about their needs or being open to receiving communication about organizational changes. The goal is to break the cycle of fulfilling demands without fostering a culture of accountability.
🛠️ Implementing the Engaged Action Planning Tool
The final paragraph provides guidance on how to use the Engaged Action Planning Tool effectively. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining the visual representation of the employees' wishes and their willingness to contribute to achieving those goals. The speaker advises leaders to wait patiently for employees to come up with their contributions and to reconvene meetings to revisit the lists. The tool is positioned as a transformative method for action planning that shifts the focus from fulfilling demands to cultivating a culture of accountability, which is essential for sustainable engagement and workplace improvement.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Engaged Action Planning Tool
💡Accountability
💡Employee Engagement
💡Entitlement
💡Mental Process
💡Reality-Based Leadership
💡Ego Bypass
💡Transparency
💡Communication
💡Change Initiatives
💡Drama
Highlights
Introduction of the Engaged Action Planning tool by Alex Tor, Vice President of People Evolution at Reality-Based Leadership.
The tool is designed to provide clarity amidst chaos and facilitate better mental processes.
Emphasis on the importance of eliminating emotional waste and drama through good mental processes.
Linking engagement to accountability to avoid creating an entitlement mindset in the workplace.
The current workplace trend of focusing on perfecting circumstances can cause chaos.
The potential negative outcome of focusing solely on employee engagement without accountability.
The Engaged Action Planning tool's purpose to integrate accountability into team circumstances.
The process of starting with a list of employee comments from engagement surveys.
The common issue of leaders attempting to fulfill all employee requests, which is often not feasible.
The cycle of fulfilling demands leading to entitlement and dissatisfaction among employees.
The technique of asking employees what they are willing to do to achieve their desired outcomes.
The power of self-reflection and accountability in improving workplace communication.
The use of visual tools to keep ideas and accountability visible to the whole group.
The transformative effect of the Engaged Action Planning tool on action planning post-surveys.
The importance of shared accountability for creating a workplace that meets everyone's needs.
The practical application of the tool to avoid the pitfalls of traditional engagement philosophies.
The final step of the tool, which involves leaders supporting their team's willingness with resources and decision-making power.
Transcripts
hey everybody its Alex tor vice
president of people evolution at
reality-based leadership the tool I want
to talk about today is our engaged
action planning tool now again our tools
are proven good mental processes that
help us get clarity when there's chaos
they help us facilitate that and they
help the group or the individual get
into a better mental process because a
good mental process is the way to get
rid of drama or emotional waste and so
what we're gonna use is the engaged
action planning tool to help us get into
one of these good mental processes now
many of our organizations are focused on
engagement and finding ways to create
great circumstances for our teams to
hopefully thrive in and get great
results and what we've seen in our
research though is as we have focused
more and more on how can we engage our
teams we're forgetting about a big
foundation of accountability that would
help really skyrocket engagement and
results and what we have found is we are
starting to see an over rotation on
focusing on perfecting circumstances and
it's causing a little bit of chaos in
the workplace and what we know is
engagement or focusing on engaging our
employees without accountability can
create entitlement and so this tool will
help us have a practical way to avoid
this entitlement mindset and really drop
in accountability to figuring out what
we can change in our team's
circumstances to improve our workplace
and so if you are curious about our
approach reality based approach to
engagement and how we have seen some
flaws in the traditional engagement
philosophy I have linked in the
description below a full keynote I gave
it's a podcast episode so you can listen
through where we see that engagements
flawed and how to fix it or you can
check out SCI Wakeman our founders
keynote it's an hour long talk on this
same concept so you can get yourself
grounded in that philosophy but if
you're already doing engagement surveys
pulse surveys or you're really focused
on asking your team's what could we do
to improve your workplace that's awesome
but I want you guys to think about this
tool
to drop in accountability there and so
the way that engaged action planning
tool works is you start with that list
you've gotten from your engagement
survey about people's comments about
what would improve their workplace so
they could do great work or you can just
ask your team's post survey or just to
get a sense of what could we do to make
it awesome around here and when you do
that just put up a piece of paper again
our tools we like to get them visible
because this helps the whole group see
it in a good mental process and so I've
done that here and simulated some of the
things you might hear from your teams
that they want in their work place so we
got better communication we want more
transparency and want better benefits
flexible schedules we want more
opportunity for advancement all of these
things whatever it is higher pay more
Pizza days more team building whatever
it is you write it up there now this is
very powerful because typically an
engagement philosophy we ask what do you
want differently we see this we go wow
yeah and we take this list and we run
off and we go as leaders to try and fix
all of that list now what often happens
number one is in the short term can we
do all of this for our teams absolutely
not we cannot always pay everyone more
improve our benefits or all of these
things so we get a little stuck because
they gave us a list of what they needed
and we couldn't make it happen so that's
the first thing that happens when we use
this typical approach the other thing
that happens is let's say I take this
list and somehow someway I am able to
fix that entire list which by the way
might be different for every single
person to be engaged let's say I fix
this list if we don't focus on
cultivating accountability what might
happen if I ask this question again they
come up with another list just as long
and you get into this cycle of
constantly trying to fulfill kind of
this list of terroristic demands and so
if you're experiencing this this is the
toughest thing about engagement because
this will start to create entitlement
where I ask you for what you need
and if I can't do it you feel that
you're entitled to us being able to fix
all of this and so this really breeds
discontent and unhappiness so what's the
technique with the engaged action
planning tool you have that list but
then you don't stop there you put up a
second sheet of paper and you say
everybody love the ideas I want all this
as well I think they're great ideas love
our list but I just have a quick
question for you and here's the magic
what are you willing to do to get that
given you want all of these things I
just got a quick question what are you
willing to do to get that now the moment
you ask this question a couple things
might happen first of all people might
be stumped because they've never been
asked you just dropped in a question for
self-reflection that drop them into
accountability into a better part of
your their brain you bypass their ego
into what would I be willing to do to
get that so if I want better
communication what would I be willing to
do to get better communication that is a
very powerful question and so what often
happens is this list stays pretty blank
for sometimes weeks and as a leader
don't panic when that happens just kind
of stay silent and just kind of be
reflective and maybe change your energy
and look at the list and be like yeah
what could we do there and leave that
list up now if nobody comes up with
anything they'd be willing to do to get
that because we dropped in that question
for accountability shared accountability
for the workplace we want I would just
say well let's keep thinking on that and
we'll reconvene in our next meeting and
then when we walk in the same visual
will be up all the things we want
differently and what we're willing to do
to get it and this is a pretty powerful
ego bypass because it's showing that we
have no willingness to get the workplace
that we want and it's pretty powerful
after some time leaving these visuals up
what tends to happen is an extrovert or
someone in a high state of
accountability will raise their hand and
this example happened to us where more
transparency was something they wanted
in their organization and after
reflecting a high accountable
raises her hand and said you know I've
been thinking about more transparency
and what I'm willing to do to get more
transparency is you remember a few weeks
ago when I called in and said I was
deathly ill and really sick and then
over lunch you caught me at Target
trying on clothes and I had to duck
behind kind of the racks in the changing
room
I suppose I wasn't very transparent
about how I was just tired and needed a
day off so next time I will just be more
transparent and not lie to you wow that
was an amazing step that person could
take to impact the transparency of our
organization and communication for that
matter so that was super interesting
another example that happened once is a
group wanted change communicated better
they wanted the Y statements they wanted
it to be super clear why we were
changing and we really couldn't figure
this one out and with this group I took
a quick break and went and freshened up
in the bathroom and splash some water on
my face and we just were stumped on this
one about what would they be willing to
do to get better communication around
change and as I came up from kind of the
mirror I looked on the side and there
was this paper on the wall it was really
out of place and it was basically the
top five change initiatives in the
organization in the wise statement
behind it and how it linked to the
strategic plan and it was beautiful and
it showed how far along they were like
60% done and some key takeaways it was
this beautiful summary of the top five
change initiatives and the progress in
the wise statement of all of them and
what I started to realize is I looked
around it was like on the door as well
it was like on the walls of the
organization I hadn't noticed it until
this moment and so I walked back into
that meeting and I said hey everyone
just curious
are these the top five change
initiatives going on right now
all of them are like oh yeah how did you
know that you must be like in our walls
or something you must be in our meetings
I go I just started noticing in front of
my face all of the ways it's posted for
me to receive that information and know
the wise statement and the purpose of
the change and so what I realized is the
group was really in a state of low
accountability
and refusing to take in the information
that was right in front of them and so
it was a big lesson about what are you
willing to do to get more communication
around change it's actually be open to
receiving it and being less resistant
and so the key second step of this tool
is once this list is as robust as this
list there even then we move on to given
this is what you guys are willing to do
to get it that workplace what can I now
do on the third sheet of paper to
support that with my resources access to
dollars access to decision-making
what can I now do to support this but
only when I have shared accountability
and willingness to get the workplace we
want will I then entertain this third
list and so this is the magic way if you
are currently taking these lists of kind
of terroristic demands in from your
teams and getting in the cycle of dange
we just cannot buy these people's love
it's not sustainable and what is
sustainable is accountability because
again engagement without accountability
creates entitlement and so here is your
magical tool to give to your leaders or
to facilitate with your teams to start
dropping in this filter of
accountability right here I promise you
it's one of the most magical tools and
it will transform the way you action
plan after your surveys or pull surveys
or your engagement efforts and so thank
you guys so much good luck with this
tool you guys got it and let's keep
ditching the drama
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