LUNCH WITH LUCY

I was spending time with a staff person the other day, and when we parted, I could not remember what our conversation centered around.

I abruptly caught myself and realized this, and it scared me.

I was so not present that I had not even engaged.

There were no excuses, especially from me.

I blew it.

Employee engagement is never far from my definition of a successful business. I have created educational presentations, hired trained presenters, given away books, arranged lunch meetings, dinner meetings, an employee of the month, but today it seems we are in the mully-grubbs, and it begins with me.

Last week, I ran across the book “Lunch With Lucy” by Sherry Stewart Deutschmann, out of the blue at the airport bookstore. What timing! I was looking for an original “game plan.”

It seems like we are suffering from the blahs after months of unhappy, uninspiring, fear-producing media, and I think we are looking like robots programmed to keep on walking.

Hence, this book appeared at just the right time, for the right price, and it had my undivided attention on a 3-hour flight.

Spoiler Alert: I am somewhat hesitant reading “investing in your people” books. In the past, I found lots of advice written for employees born or acclimated to our American workplace. However, in my business, it is a different story.

We are a small service company with diverse backgrounds, and we came here from various countries. English is not our first language. Not just the normal “are you from Florida or Minnesota, Wisconsin or New York”? (okay, New York and Wisconsin? Different countries)

The book is a show-stopper. After a few chapters, I wrote down a couple of suggestions on alignment and engagement.

Today a few shifts are in the works, just simple tweaks, not a complete overhaul. Keeping track and 100 percent sure employees are rightfully front and center.

As for Results, Improvements, Satisfaction? Patience, and wait and see.

2022 looks like a turn-around year; it’s in the stars! ie: Employee Stars.