Getting construction employees (in the field or the office) engaged in your business may seem difficult. It feels as if there is a gap between what would be best for your construction company and what your employees think they should be doing. But by using these two keys to employee engagement, you’ll be able to close the gap much more easily.
Warning: Neither of these keys is easy to use. Both are challenging and can take time to implement. You know the deal, if they were easy, everybody would use them. Putting both of these keys to use in your construction business will set you apart as an employer folks want to work for. (And, by extension, a contractor people want to hire.)
This first part of this two-part essay will focus on the first key – Tell Your Engaging Story.
In the second part, the subject will center on the second key – Conduct Engaging Meetings.
Employee Engagement Through Story
Tell your story – how you got to where you are.
Whether or not you’re good with words, even if you never thought of yourself as a storyteller, you are the best person to tell your story. You are the one who knows the story – all of the story. Besides, you don’t have to write it down, figure it out, have it edited, and so on. What you must do is tell the story.
To get you started, here are a few “points of interest” that you can include in your story. (If you want to, you can appoint someone else to write it down for you.)
Humble beginnings? Tell where you started.
Driving factor? Share your why.
Strange twists? Reveal what happened.
Missteps? Explain the lessons learned.
Comebacks? Report them.
Something had to change? Disclose how you handled it.
Helpers or supporters? Proclaim those who helped.
Other accomplishments? Mention them.
You can include many other things in your story; they need not be limited to what is listed above. If you need help recalling your story, ask family, friends, employees, and clients to help you.
Employee Engagement Example
I once worked for a large regional convenience store chain whose original owner got his start by renting skates. You might say he put the adage “pulled himself up by his bootstraps” to rest by allowing himself to be pulled up by the bootstraps of the skates he rented.
He used his earnings to buy two large metal drums that would fit in the bed of his pickup. He filled them with fuel and began selling it to the ranchers in his area. He used those earnings to purchase a two-pump gas station in Wyoming.
I didn’t have to look this information up, and I wasn’t given an employee handbook that told the story (although that’s not a bad idea.) I know the story because it was told to me by fellow employees – and the company’s owner.
I recall a day when I and a few other employees were in a small group meeting with the company’s owner. Startup stories, new funny stories, and lesson-learned stories were being bandied about. Someone asked the owner why he had chosen to close down one company division. His brief and calm reply was, “Some things work, and some things don’t.” (With those seven words, he gave everyone in that room three things to hang their actions on – 1. go ahead and try new and different things, 2. run with it when it goes well, and 3. don’t freak out if it doesn’t work.)
The closed-down division became another paragraph in the company story because this successful business owner was willing to take risks, admit errors, and move on.
I know a few other odds and ends about the company’s founder. He was an airplane enthusiast, builder, and flyer. He built a contraption for his family to use (with parts from some of his airplanes) that worked like today’s snowmobiles. He had a loyal and dedicated right-hand man who stayed with him from nearly the beginning of his business ventures until the owner’s death.
It was not unusual to see tenure awards and bonuses for employees exceeding 20 years at our annual “big meeting” at this company. Heck, many achieved 25 and 30-year tenure status.
It is probably evident by now I was among the many engaged employees during my long tenure with the company I’m writing about.
Will someone in your employ now be able to tell your story years from now?
Employee Engagement Story Continued
I recently looked at online statistics concerning the company I once worked for. They now have 496 stores across 13 western states. Plus, they are in the process of rebranding their most recent acquisition of a former competitor’s 336 stores.
Many folks who live in any of those 13 states will recognize the name of the convenience stores. It’s Maverik (purposefully misspelled by the original owner) – talk about a Maverick! There is even more to the story.
Employee Engagement With Twists
Many more folks will recognize the name Flying J—a chain of truck stops across the United States that also had its beginnings with Ruell Call, the original owner of the Maverik stores. Ruell gifted his nephew Jay Call a tanker truck, and Jay used that gift to build his own company. Flying J was born.
Things are different now. Flying J has changed hands – more than once. As North America’s largest network of travel centers, Pilot Flying J has over 750 locations in 44 states and six Canadian provinces. Pilot Flying J was part of Pilot Company’s family of brands and is now owned by Brookshire Hathaway.
Employee Engagement and More
Thus far, the thrust of this message has been about getting employee engagement through telling your engaging story. And that is important. But the thing is, you can use your story in many more ways. Put it on your website, give it a nod on your brochures, include bits and pieces in your social media posts, use it on cover letters, and include it in public relations submissions. There are many opportunities and ways to share your engaging story.
Don’t forget potential employees and clients are interested in your story. Allow them to see it.
Closing the Employee Engagement Gap
We’re back where we started. The point of doing the hard work of sharing your story with your employees is to help close the employee engagement gap. When telling your story to your employees, allowing them to envision themselves within it is essential.
Whether spoken aloud or not, this is the message your employees will need to grasp. “That’s where we were. This is where we are. Now let’s go there. Come along!”
Click the link to visit part two of this series regarding Employee Engagement. Meet you there.
Ambitious Construction Contractors look to The Profit Constructors to provide advocacy in dealing with:
Clients and customers
Employees and subcontractors
Vendors and service providers
Governmental entities
Working with The Profit Constructors gives Construction Contractors the means to organize their operations in ways that help them:
Remain informed
Avoid hassles
Reduce risks
Be future-ready
Ready for action? Or want to know more? Get in touch today to schedule a complimentary discovery call. 866-629-7735
Comments