The Focus Group
Pete's Photo
Pete Tosh, Founder
The Focus Group provides a full range of consulting and training services within four core business areas: 
  • Strategic Planning
  • Enhancing Leadership Effectiveness
  • Improving Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty
  • Implementing Strategic HR Initiatives

If you'd like more information about our training and consulting services, please get in touch for an initial free consultation. 

 

About Our Services
The Best Organizational Metrics are Cash Flow, Customer Satisfaction & Employee Engagement - Jack Welch
Recently Jack Welch re-published that the three most important measures of organizational health are: cash flow, customer satisfaction & employee engagement. Additionally, he points out that employee engagement - since it is impacted daily by every supervisor & manager - offers the capability of  being improved much faster than the other two measures.

Recent research provides useful insight into the drivers behind employee engagement - as well as the practical, engagement initiatives from which all organizations can benefit. And these initiatives are interrelated - serving as catalysts for one another.
#1 Selecting Talented Supervisors & Managers - appears to be the most critical element. Research shows that only two people in ten have the talent needed to be an effective manager. And, all too frequently organizations make poor hiring decisions in selecting managers who lack the necessary managerial talents.
Supervisors & managers affect 65% of the degree of engagement of their teams. Since only a third of the employees in the U.S. are engaged, it appears that a high percentage of  managers are not creating work environments which are energizing to employees. Possibly it's because only 35% of U.S. managers are engaged themselves. Employees with highly engaged managers are 50% more likely to be engaged than employees supervised by disengaged managers. And organizations with unengaged managers find it very challenging to overcome that obstacle & increase the engagement level of their front line employees.
Talented & engaged managers attract, retain & each day maximize the performance of their frontline employees. And they do so by clarifying their expectations, coaching, building relationships, holding all team members accountable & making un-biased decisions based on employee performance. These managerial actions result in enhanced discretionary effort, productivity, quality, employee retention & even improved safety performance. Retaining & energizing employees costs pennies as compared to the dollars involved in replacing them.
#2 Focusing on Employees' Strengths - employees are more likely to perform to their potential when they work for a manager who regularly helps them develop their unique capabilities. Managers can best assist employees in reaching their potential by focusing on employees' capabilities vs. their weaknesses. Each of us have a unique blend of skills - enabling us to perform better at some activities than others. And it's human nature to enjoy doing the things that we do well - which energizes us to want to achieve at an even higher level. Think about the positive emotions you experience when you are doing something that you do well.
Over 60% of the employees who say their manager focuses on their strengths are engaged vs. those employees who say their manager focuses on weaknesses. Weaknesses should not be overlooked but coaching employees to enhance their natural skill set generates significantly greater performance than trying to improve deficiencies.

#3 Measuring Employee Engagement, Not Satisfaction - our old employee satisfaction surveys were largely missing the mark. Unlike employee satisfaction surveys, engagement surveys can identify the reasons for employees' attitudes & behaviors as well as the opportunities available for improving business results. The level of employee engagement within an organization is a much better predictor of organizational performance than the degree of employee satisfaction. Employees place greater value on a supervisor who cares about them & their development - than the short term incentives frequently measured in employee satisfaction surveys.
Many organizations are using these three initiatives to maximize the performance of their human capital - and generate greater growth & revenue. And Jack Welch's other two metrics - customer satisfaction & cash flow - are also very likely to be positively impacted when any organization increases its degree of employee engagement.
We'd enjoy discussing the options available for implementing any of these initiatives in your organization.


                 Signature
For More Information
Please give The Focus Group a call if you'd like more information about our services.  There's no risk. The initial consultation is free! Here's our contact information:

 

The Focus Group
577 Mulberry St, Suite 710
Macon, Georgia  31201
478-746-6891
petetosh@thefocusgroup.biz