Tag: #engagement

Using a “net purpose score” to measure engagement

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

I was reading an article by Stephanie Vozza on how measuring employee engagement and performance by productivity and output may not give you an accurate view of employee desire to stay.  As I was reading it I was seeing parallels with the world of #bellringing and whether people stay or leave when they’re learning to ring.

A survey conducted by MIT Sloan Management Review of nearly 4,300 leaders explored shifting attitudes about leadership during challenging times. They found as the research went on and the pandemic hit, it became clearer that we ought to be paying more attention to all dimensions of experience, where attrition rates aligned to emotional, mental and purposeful wellbeing.

The net purpose score is based on whether someone would recommend a product or service, or whether the employee would be an advocate for the organisation.  In #bellringing terms would someone learning to ring recommend it, become a champion for it and recommend it to their friends and family? 

On a wider #bellringing scale when thinking about Associations or the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers we don’t tend to ask questions such as “Do you feel the organisation stands for something?” and “Do you feel the organisation reflects and honours the principles and purpose for which it says?” and “Would you recommend someone getting involved?”.

In the same way as corporate leaders do, #bellringing leaders at every level have a direct impact on their band, Association or organisation net purpose score.  How do we, as #bellringing leaders lead by example ensuring connection between words and actions?

I was speaking with a ringer recently who he said he didn’t understand the Central Council or what they did.  As being an active member of Central Council activities, I explained how the Council provides a common language and terminology for describing aspects of method ringing. It provides guidance and support, and aims to support and encourage ringing by:

  • helping to find alternative long-term sources of recruits who have the potential to be good ringers;
  • ensuring no ringer should hit a barrier to their own progression;
  • promoting the pursuit of excellence in everything we do;
  • ensuring that the sound of church bells remains part of our cultural soundscape and is appreciated and understood;
  • recognising that the pursuit of method ringing is not the only measure of success for a ringer; and
  • ensuring that the Church continues to value our contribution

The Central Council President has recently issued the updated Strategic Priorities, noting action and progress to date.  Clear evidence that action is connected to words and that even due to the pandemic, and in some cases because of it, so much has been going on.

But how do we get that message out, so that grass roots ringers feel we stand for something, that we reflect and honour the principles and purposes we state and they feel they want to get involved? The same could be said at Association level too.

Of course we have communication methods.  We have various email groups for Association officers, to Central Council Reps, our website and social media but at best we probably only reach about 15% of ringers worldwide. We also now have RingingForums where anyone with a particular topic interest can pose a question, ask for and offer advice.  Most of these methods require the individual to engage in some way i.e. register to receive email updates or participate in RingingForums. 

It seems that only those who are interested in engaging will engage, whilst those who don’t won’t.  There comes a time when we need to recongise the effort put into trying to engage the unengageable isn’t worth it.  However, there are many reasons why people don’t engage. The trouble being, because they don’t engage, it’s difficult to find out their reasons why and do be able to do something to address it. Being able to reach those leaders to show them what’s on offer is the difficulty though, especially if they are unengageable.

It brings it back to the “user experience” and how the individual feels at their local tower.  If the local leadership demonstrates active engagement, including in respect of emotional, mental and purposeful wellbeing for each of their ringers, and is engaged with and promotes the support and mechanisms the wider group of towers, district or Association can offer, then others are more likely to follow suit, thereby increasing the net purpose score.

I spent a lot of time writing articles for #bellringing journals, social media and press yet I still hear stories from people who say they don’t know what’s going on, or hadn’t seen anything about a particular event.  When I ask if they read the article in the Ringing World, or on the website, or the email I sent round, or in the newsletter (as I generally send things out in multiple formats) and they say “no”, I rest my case.  You can take a horse to water but can’t make it drink.  It’s all out there. 

I am trying to provide a platform for people to feel the organisations I’m involved with stand for something, that they reflect and honour their principles, but I can only be responsible for so much.  The rest is down to you.

So I’ll ask the questions:

On a scale of 0-5 where 0 is “not at all” and 5 is “absotootinlootly”:

  1. Do you feel the organisation stands for something?
  2. Do you feel the organisation reflects and honours the principles and purpose for which it says?
  3. Would you recommend someone getting involved?

Let me know if you’re responding at a local, district, Association or Central Council level.

How do you engage with the unengagable?

Image by Terri Cnudde from Pixabay

That million dollar question all leaders want the magic answer to. 

I’ve done many a course and read many a book or article on how we should be engaging with people to get the most out of them and provide them with job/participation satisfaction.  We are told that we should include them in decision making, regularly communicate with them, and invite them to participate in projects that will allow them to share their expertise and grow their skills. We should be empowering them to make decisions.  We are reminded that a disengaged team can cause a drop in morale and performance and be disruptive.  https://jouta.com/blog/how-to-re-engage-a-disengaged-employee/

But there are some who just don’t want to be engaged with.  They want to be valued, they want to be appreciated and for their efforts to be noticed. They want reward for doing a good job (some even want reward for doing an adequate or poor job, or for simply turning up at all).  They want to feel listened to and communicated with.  They want to be involved.  That is, right up until the time when you invite them to be involved.

One thing I struggle with time and again is trying to get people to look wider than the work that is right in front of them, especially when they tell me that they are not happy, or feel undervalued.  I invite them to participate; I offer courses that support their current role and any development they might want.  I provide them with opportunities to use their knowledge and skills and to develop processes and procedures or plans that they will ultimately be responsible for. I provide open door opportunities to share ideas and talk freely.

But they just don’t want to play.

I’m not the sort to press gang unless absolutely necessary, I ask for volunteers. There are times when I have had to say “you and you are going to help with this” but I want to see who has a spark, who is interested, and who wants to be involved. I shouldn’t be the one suggesting all the process changes; I’m not doing the job.  I can see opportunities to improve efficiency or process, but ultimately they have to own and be accountable for it, so it makes sense that they help develop it.

We are reminded that people respond positively when they are empowered to make choices and decisions for themselves, yet when they are given the opportunity they don’t want to take it. Figuring out what matters to them and how to spread positive stories, exchange ideas openly, and disseminate best practice is all well and good but only works when morale is already high and people are generally happier. https://www.achievers.com/blog/how-to-convert-a-disengaged-employee-into-an-engaged-one/  In this current climate, that’s really hard to do in a virtual world.

I think it also depends on the example they are given.  Enthusiasm breads enthusiasm, contempt breads contempt.   I try to be as upbeat as I can and to understand frustrations others are going through trying to deliver their piece of work or part of the project.  I acknowledge that not everything can be done as perfectly as we might want it to be and sometimes corners might need to be cut in order to meet a more pressing need.  I understand that there are often outside pressures that affect how motivated they feel.  However, there are usually others in closer relationships that seem predetermined to be pessimistic about everything. Everything is a disaster, it’s not their fault, and it’s nothing to do with them, they are not responsible or accountable.  That kind of vibe tends to spread like wildfire and before you know it most of the team is feeling down.  They don’t realise that they vibe they are giving off is affecting how others feel and then it spirals. 

I know that it’s extremely hard to eternally upbeat about everything all the time, it would be exhausting, and I certainly have my days when I’m not motivated or interested at all.  But if I want a more optimistic team around and people to be more engaged, then it’s my responsibility as a leader to start that vibe, or to find help when I need it.  If I can change one person’s attitude, which can then spread to someone else, I’d be happy.

I want people to develop, I want them to be fulfilled in what they do, be satisfied at the end of the day they did all they could to use their strengths.  I want them to feel they have all the information they need about what’s going on in their immediate and wider world.  I want all these things for them and provide opportunities for that.  They just don’t seem interested in taking it. People complain about lack of development, I give them the opportunity to develop, they don’t want to take it. They complain about not knowing what’s going on, so I tell them but then they don’t listen or connect the dots with the relevance to them. I need to make more of an effort to ensure the message is put across in a ways that does demonstrate relevance to them.

Whilst it would be great to have one to ones with absolutely every person to determine what motivates them and how they could be better developed, communicated with etc, the practicalities are not so simple.  It might be that I wouldn’t need to do that with everyone, just take a few key people to one side and address their motivations, then through the wonders of osmosis everyone else will feel more engaged and valued.

Reflecting on some of the reasons why previous attempts to engage others hasn’t worked it is useful to consider these questions:

  1. Who in my team have I connected with the least? what gets in the way of connecting with them more?  
  2. Think about the people I connect with the least in my team, service users and peer group, and notice any similarities.
  3. Think about who in my team I enjoy connecting with and why?
  4. Think about those who I feel psychologically safe around and why? and those who I do not and why?. What are the differential factors?   

There are many tools to try but I still don’t have a solution for how to engage the unengagable.