Wikipedia: Employee engagement, also called worker engagement, is a business management concept. An “engaged employee” is one who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about their work and thus will act in a way that furthers their organization’s interests.
So, employee engagement is a business management concept. It’s also a hot topic. But how does it translate into the real world of business?
John Maguire, MD of The Phoenix Car Company (once rated as the Fastest Growing Privately Owned Company in Scotland) not only embraces it, he practices it.
Keeping his employees engaged and motivated has been central to the company’s success since it launched in 1993, at the former site of Chrysler in Linwood, next to Glasgow Airport. Since then, the company has progressively grown to include 18 dealerships spread across Paisley, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Grangemouth and Stirling.
“People are your greatest asset”. It’s been said many a time before but, speaking at a special event in Glasgow, John made the cliché real.
“I have heard this many times before,” said Graham Steed, “But John made the cliché real and demonstrated the impact that engaging your staff fully can have.
“Also, the focus on attention to detail, constant professionalism and getting it right first time, every time.”
Graham, SEO Business Intelligence Division BiP Solutions, said John’s Phoenix story was “inspirational”.
“John’s presentation style, experience and down to earth attitude made the time go very quickly. Hearing about his vision for his company and how quickly he made it happen was inspirational.
“John demonstrated that the best leaders understand what the pulse of their business is, and stay in touch with the key drivers of it regardless of what else may be going on. His personal role in hiring staff was also very interesting and underlined the importance he places on having the right people in the organisation.”
Mike McCloskey of Rainbow Delivery said he took away 3 key tips from John’s talk; the first being to invest in your people to make them winners. “I take that as much as ‘time is money’,” said Mike.
“You need to make people feel like they are part of a business doing something good. Why? It lifts my thinking out of the grunge and focuses my mind on helping my team do the same.
“From now on we’ll be placing more emphasis on our ethos/mission ‘Delivering Peace of Mind’ and more fun and engagement in the wider community.”
Feedback
“Key tips for me – start new staff who are energetic and motivated to work for the company and not just for money. Take time to hire the best staff. Don’t settle for staff that ‘will do’. Create a company culture that everyone believes in.”
“Tips for me – acting as an agent for the consumer. What to look for in new employees; energy, enthusiasm, intensity and excitement.”
“John’s enthusiasm was contagious. It helped me remember that it’s about more than delivering parcels (i.e. what our “job” is). I also liked John’s attitude to investing in his people to “turn them into winners”. It reaffirmed my decision to get more involved and John’s version of Open Door policy ties right in with that!”
