Engaged Action Planning | Reality-Based Toolkit

Summary

In 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

00:00

📈 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.

05:02

🤔 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.

10:02

🛠️ 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.

Keywords

💡Engaged Action Planning Tool

The Engaged Action Planning Tool is a method introduced in the video to help organizations and individuals clarify their goals and develop a plan of action amidst chaos. It is designed to facilitate better mental processes, which the speaker suggests are essential for eliminating drama or emotional waste in the workplace. The tool is used to balance the focus on employee engagement with the equally important aspect of accountability, as seen in the script where it is used to address the overemphasis on perfecting circumstances that can lead to chaos.

💡Accountability

Accountability in the context of the video refers to the responsibility and obligation that individuals have towards their actions and decisions within an organization. It is highlighted as a foundational aspect that, when overlooked, can lead to a lack of results despite high levels of employee engagement. The script emphasizes the importance of fostering a culture of accountability to prevent entitlement and to ensure that employees are actively contributing to the workplace improvements they desire.

💡Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is a central theme in the video, referring to the level of enthusiasm and commitment employees have towards their work and the organization. The speaker discusses how traditional engagement philosophies may be flawed, focusing too much on creating perfect circumstances for employees without considering their personal accountability. The script provides examples of engagement surveys and how they can be improved by incorporating the Engaged Action Planning Tool.

💡Entitlement

Entitlement in the video is portrayed as a negative outcome that can arise when there is a focus on employee engagement without corresponding accountability. It is described as a mindset where employees feel they deserve certain benefits or conditions without considering what they can contribute to achieve those improvements. The script warns against creating an environment that fosters entitlement, which can lead to dissatisfaction and a lack of initiative among team members.

💡Mental Process

A good mental process, as mentioned in the video, is a way of thinking that helps individuals navigate through chaos and achieve clarity. It is linked to the overall theme of improving workplace dynamics by suggesting that a clear and focused mental approach is necessary for both leaders and team members to effectively address challenges and opportunities. The script illustrates this by discussing how the Engaged Action Planning Tool helps individuals and teams get into a better mental process.

💡Reality-Based Leadership

Reality-Based Leadership is the philosophy or approach that the speaker, Alex Tor, represents. It seems to involve practical and realistic strategies for leadership and team management, with a focus on accountability and engagement. The script does not provide a detailed definition, but it implies that this approach is about facing the realities of the workplace and addressing them with effective tools and strategies.

💡Ego Bypass

The term 'ego bypass' in the script refers to a technique used within the Engaged Action Planning Tool to redirect focus away from personal desires and towards a more constructive and accountable mindset. By asking individuals what they are willing to do to achieve their desired outcomes, the tool bypasses the ego-driven reactions and taps into a more reflective and solution-oriented part of the brain.

💡Transparency

Transparency in the video is discussed as a desired quality in the workplace, which can improve communication and trust among team members. The script provides an example of an individual committing to being more transparent about their personal situation, which can contribute to a more open and honest work environment.

💡Communication

Effective communication is highlighted as a key aspect of a healthy workplace in the video. It is mentioned as one of the areas that employees may want to improve according to engagement surveys. The script discusses how better communication can be achieved not just through sharing information but also through being open to receiving it and being less resistant to change.

💡Change Initiatives

Change initiatives are mentioned in the context of organizational development and the need for clear communication around them. The script uses the example of a paper on the wall that outlines the top five change initiatives, showing the importance of visibility and accessibility of information to ensure that all team members are informed and understand the rationale behind changes.

💡Drama

In the video, 'drama' is used to describe unnecessary emotional conflict or waste in the workplace that can distract from productivity and team cohesion. The speaker suggests that good mental processes and the Engaged Action Planning Tool can help to 'ditch the drama' and create a more focused and efficient work environment.

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