RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

Life is full of opportunities, challenges, suggestions and directions – all working to guide our paths as we accomplish our daily activities.  While many have adopted “gems of wisdom” handed down through previous generations to help guide their actions, influence their decisions and help establish their sense of values, over the years (along with the “golden rule” and other biblical principals) I have developed several concepts that help mold my personal decisions (that I have listed below).  When we feel we “have arrived” and know it all – when we can stop learning and coast through life with the knowledge we have accumulated – is when we actually stop living and begin only to exist.

• If given the option of doing something right or doing it quickly, choose doing it right. 
• Do not make a decision until (and unless) you are willing to accept the consequences of your actions.
• Newton had it right – every action results in an equal and opposite reaction.  Do not act
  without considering what will change, who will be effected and whether more good than bad will be brought into play.
• Life is not an isolated event having one beginning and one end.  It is a series of starts and stops
  
  – of new beginnings arising from short-term plateaus rather than of abrupt endings without thoughts of continuation.  If you do nothing else in life, enjoy what you do.  If you seek nothing else from life, seek what you wish to accomplish.  Should you ever feel that “all has been said” and “all has been done,” run quickly from where you are – get back onto the circle of life where every end is but the beginning of something new and different.
• Spending time to improve ourselves often provides an immediate return.  Spending the same time to improve others pays dividends in the future that are incalculable to us today.
• It is better to live life without fearing death than to fear death so much that you fail to live life. 
•  Life is full of activity and of rest – of visions and of voids.  Refresh during times of rest so you
  can accomplish much during times of activity.  Perhaps more importantly, make sure no void ever goes unfilled.
• When you say things without worrying about how they will affect others you build a ceiling that limits how far you may rise.  When you say things without caring how they affect others you reduce others so that you might easily rise above them without having to elevate yourself.  Only when you rise with the help and assistance of others will the sky be your limit.
• Turning out the lights indicates closure on things we have accomplished.  Reaching for the stars exposes new opportunities we have not yet seen.  I would prefer spending my time looking into the light than staring into the darkness.
  
• When reaching out to help others, make sure you provide the tools they need to accomplish great things rather than only the great things they want.  All your help and efforts become but a disservice if an individual receives “the world” without learning how to achieve (and maintain) greatness through their own efforts and abilities.

Please feel free to reply to this list with additional insights and “rules of engagement” you rely upon to help develop your actions, interactions and attitudes.

KEEPING EMPLOYEES HAPPY (AND ENGAGED)

Recent studies have found employee dissatisfaction to be at an all-time high. It makes sense that employees who cannot “leave” a situation might be unhappy – feeling trapped within their circumstances. When we have an inordinate number of good jobs available to competent, reliable workers, however, the prevailing sense of dissatisfaction makes no sense. Surprisingly, a competitive pay package is NOT one of the most critical reasons employees stay with an organization – but a well-defined program that establishes internal equity IS a key factor in employee retention. There are, however, several essential factors to consider when developing a fair and equitable structure with which to compensate employees. These factors would include:

1) Internal equity is much more important than external competitiveness when it comes to creating a satisfied workforce. Some of the best organizations often pay employees slightly below market averages BUT they are consistent and intentional with this philosophy. They communicate their compensation philosophy openly, being transparent in their intent to provide a “fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. Dissatisfaction (causing high turnover, negative employee relations and difficulty in hiring new employees) almost always results when one group of employees is paid differently in relation to market than another.
2) Strong merit pay systems tend to attract and retain high performers (and over-achievers) while tenure-based systems tend to attract risk-averse employees and provide a safe harbor for mediocre employees. When expectations are communicated to employees (potentially linking additional pay and/or bonus to the accomplishment of goals), employees willing and able to go the extra mile will step forward. Systems that pay all individuals equally, regardless of their result, tend to equalize abilities as well as pay – often to the lowest (rather than the highest) common denominator.
3) Organizations without an objective means to establish a job’s value or worth tend to pay employees more based on who they are (or who they know) than what they contribute. Whenever employers make pay decisions based on who is in the job rather than on what the job does for the organization and how well (or poorly) the job is done, favoritism and inequity (whether real or imagined) can begin to destroy internal employee relations.
4) Consistency is more important than accuracy. When employees see that policies are inconsistently applied they become more a part of the problem than they are a solution. It is important to tell employees what you are going to do and how you are going to work with them – then to do what you say. NEVER say one thing and do another or treat one employee differently than another or you will find that your credibility has been diminished and your effectiveness as a leader destroyed.
5) Communication is the cornerstone of a strong organization. How can employees contribute to the growth of an organization unless they know where the organization wants to go – what it ultimately wants to be? Unless employees know and believe that anything is possible they will never move past “what is” towards “what has not yet been realized.” Engaging employees is more that telling them what to do – it involves identifying how each individual communicates then altering your approach WITHOUT changing or compromising your expectations.
6) Compensation Administration IS NOT a static science. Pay ranges should be updated regularly pay rates adjusted reflect changing market conditions. Pay should be adjusted regularly based on an organization’s ability to pay AND the work that is actually being done. Seek employee input when updating job duties. Utilize reliable sources when establishing competitive pay rates. Reward employee performance in a way that encourages desired behavior while discouraging destructive behavior. Make sure that all employees know that “life is not equal – it is equitable” with what one receives directly proportional to what one contributes.

When employees seeking responsibility, autonomy and advancement find their efforts are not appreciated they often seek “greener pastures” in which to feed. The way people interact with peers, the way they are treated by management, and their overall satisfaction (and engagement) with the job are far more critical than pay (and/or benefits) in regards to employee retention.