Contented Cows Still Give Better Milk, Revised and Expanded: The Plain Truth about Employee Engagement and Your Bottom Line, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 4

The Path to Commitment

When the organization has a clear sense of its purpose, direction, and desired future state, and when this image is widely shared, individuals are able to define their own roles both in the organization and the larger society of which they are a part. They gain a sense of importance as they are transformed from robots blindly following instructions to human beings engaged in a creative and purposeful venture.

—Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus, Leaders

So How Do You Get People Committed?

In an age when the on-ramp to the career expressway is shorter and steeper than ever (just ask Tim Tebow), forgiveness for mistakes is practically nonexistent, and the average job tenure is a little more than three years, it is imperative to get your employees up to speed quickly. That certainly includes enrolling them in the organization’s journey before they get lost, run over—or just drop out.

There are four specific information needs you must meet as a prerequisite for achieving high levels of employee Commitment. In short, these are things your employees need, want, and have a right to know.

1. What Is This Organization All About?

Your people need to know what the organization stands for and what it believes in. What is really important? What kinds of things can they do to get support—or promoted? What will get them voted off the island? Because we all walk around with a healthy dose of skepticism these days, they also need to hear some stories that illustrate, ...