Hard-Won Wisdom

CHAPTER

1

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION THAT WORKED(A Changed Approach to Managing Employees Produces Dramatically Better Results)

Chuck, a white male, desperately wanted to fire Mary, an African American female.

As head of his company’s accounting department, Chuck had become increasingly frustrated with Mary’s performance and attitude. He had established a program, the Call List, which involved department employees checking in with customers every 60 days. The list was divided evenly among the five employees in Chuck’s department. Unlike her coworkers, Mary regularly fell short of completing her share of the calls.

When Chuck spoke ...