Manage to Engage

CHAPTER 4Fair Trade: An “F” You Should Be Proud Of

We want our leaders to be fair dinkum. As much among us as above us.

—Sir Peter Cosgrove, former governor-general of Australia

Imagine how people would feel if they felt you were fair dinkum, knew you would give them a fair go, and felt they were in a fair trade relationship?

Giving people the opportunity to grow and thrive is one of the greatest engagement tools available to you. Beyond the opportunity to be rewarded for work, it means really searching for ways to allow people to truly step up to new challenges – giving a candidate a job, allowing nontraditional candidates to apply for promotions, providing people with experiences to help them grow, or providing opportunity. Providing opportunity is the basis of a fair trade.

Fair Is as Fair Does

Fair trade is about people feeling they exchange a fair day's work for a fair day's return. It's about fair treatment where people's discretionary effort is acknowledged personally as well as financially, so you feel you have genuinely contributed and what you do matters. Giving people a fair go means you look beyond the usual suspects and allow people to step up to opportunity and the experiences that are available in your business. Being fair dinkum means you are authentic – the real deal. Without these basics, fair trade will not flourish.

As a kid, I worked at McDonald's. Five shifts a week while I was at school. I learned the basics of business before I knew I was learning ...