CEO Chief Engagement Officer John Smythe Engage for Change

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CEO Chief Engagement OfficerJohn
SmytheEngage for Change
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How do you do?
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Engagement from their shoes
The global engineering company from defensive
to offensive by reaching down to mid level
executives to drive strategy Result middle of
the sector to top performer and on the
acquisition trail
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Engagement from their shoes
The logistics company taking 6 days to deliver
freight from A B under threat of outsourcing.
Engaging militant shop floor staff challenged all
the norms of command and control
leadership Result Threat of outsourcing is
lifted, ballot of employees results in 75
positive vote for change, 400m investment
approved by board
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Engagement from their shoes
The global financial services corporation which
went from losses of 3B to the same in
profit The finance function streamlined its
service offer by engaging junior executives in
driving change Result 100 saved and finance
sets an example
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Engagement from their shoes
The public utility which had to drop 40
from its cost base and did so by engaging those
who would be affected most in decision
making. Result cost savings achieved with no
strike action and many better solutions than
management would have thought of
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Engagement from their shoes
The holiday company which came from back from
the brink, scored the highest margins in the
sector and then engaged ALL staff in developing a
service strategy Result voted best tour
operator
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Engagement from their shoes
The retailer which engaged it staff in designing
its service offer, dispensing with compliance
based score cards and in deciding
internal measures of engagement Result top of
call centre league table and turnover reduced
from high 20s to 1
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Myths about employee engagement

• Most organisations
• Have leaders who understand the concept
• Think that top down delivers engaging people
  upfront is too slow
• Have leaders who have all the answers
• Think they already engage their people
• Have identified unique drivers of employee
  engagement
• Think that engagement is better communication
• Think that its a functional (communication/HR
  etc) initiative

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What is employee engagement?

• A project at work which really engaged you.
• What drivers brought about your engagement?

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Seismic shifts in the psychological contract

• Cradle to grave portfolio careers
• Loyalty for security transactional
  relationship
• Dependence independence
• Our human resources creative talent on loan
• Employees citizens
• Command and control well governed inclusivity
• I left the company I left my boss
• CEO GOD CEOGuide

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Implications for leadership

• Leaders God to
• guide

2. Change tell to well governed engagement
3. Communication coercion to inclusion
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Dont confuse these benefits with drivers/causes

• Engaged people
• Are creative and productive
• Constructively critical and challenging of the
  status quo
• Seek to initiate change
• Make other peoples change their own
• Advocate the company from their own critical
  perspective not as brand ambassadors / robots
• Enjoy their work and make it enjoyable for
  colleagues and external parties

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What is employee engagement?

• Driving value by inviting employees who deliver
  the end result to contribute to decisions,
  strategy and change
• Engaging people in the decision making process in
  a well governed way not communicating with them
  after decisions are made by an elite
• Sharing power

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Two views of employee engagement
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The alignment model giving employees the same
view / data / experience as decision makers
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The real engagement model opening up decision
making to those who will add value and
sustainability.
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Four choices of approach open to leaders to
engage everyone in decisions, strategy and change
Telling the many what has been decided by the
few(instructional with little sell)
Selling to the many what has been decided by the
few(tell with a sell and entertainment)
outcome
hooligans or spectators
compliant collaborators
Inclusion - driving accountability down by
implicating people as individuals (giving people
the time, space and process to apply the
change/decision to their own work, regardless of
the degree of delegation)
Co-creation - judging who will add value if
included in front end decision forming and
change/strategy development (not to be confused
with a laissez faire culture which is poor at
closure and ill disciplined. Co-creation takes
robust governance and skill)
outcome
willing collaborators
personally committed reformers
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Engagement is
Driving value by inviting your employees who
deliver the end result to contribute to
decisions, strategy and change.
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Implications for leadership

• Leaders God to
• guide

2. Change tell to well governed engagement
3. Communication coercion to inclusion
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Engaging leaders

• create the right conditions for others to engage
  themselves by
• Setting clear roles and responsibilities
• Putting everyones work in the context of
  strategy
• Feeding back on performance
• Exercising Hard love
• Providing a safe environment for people to take
  risks and to challenge the status quo

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Why did the traders keep walking?
Was it the money? Was it the brand? Noit was
the way their MDs kept them out of decisions
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Communication planning and executionis 50 of
decisions/change
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consider who will add value if engagedin
decision formingupfront
negotiate authentic agreement about decision a
shared story
COMPLETE DECISION CYCLE
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consider who needs to be communicated with and
engaged in execution
Learning from listening / observing
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how to communicate- method - style
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Implications for leadership

• Leaders God to
• guide

2. Change tell to well governed engagement
3. Communication coercion to inclusion
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Employee engagement turning hierarchy upside down
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Communication vs Engagement

• Its amazing how little percolates via the line
  about transformation you have to reach down and
  engage people in decision making to create energy

Patrick OSullivan, CFO Zurich Financial Services
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Obsessed with customer service

• The travel industry actually makes it very
  difficult to set us apart from the competition.
• Products can be copied, as can campaigns and any
  other new concept, but one thing that cannot be
  replicated is the Thomas Cook culture, our
  attitude to our customers and the service we
  deliver.
• Manny Fontenla-Novoa
• Chief Executive

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The CEO
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Insights and observations

• Senior people dont have to do the work and can
  be blockers
• Give the work to the people who need to execute
• Charismatic leadership is no substitute for
  putting people in the driving seat to create
  their own conviction
• Mid level people are less politicised and engage
  their own colleagues better
• Everyone has to take RISKS

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Implications for leadership

• Leaders God to
• guide

2. Change tell to well governed engagement
3. Communication coercion to inclusion
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We need one voice communication and the
philosophy and practice of engagement

Communication
Engagement

• Making connections
• Sharing meaning
• Influencing mood/climate
• Setting context
• Reinforcing status quo/hierarchy

• Opening decision making and change to the right
  groups to- add value- accelerate execution-
  broaden ownership and sustainability
• Power sharing
• Disturbing status quo/suspending hierarchy

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Employee engagement - key messages

• The primary driver is power sharing
• Suspending the hierarchy temporarily reaching
  down to give work to the people
• A leadership philosophy first, a set of tools
  second
• Leaders need to take risks to share
  power/citizens need to take the risk to
  implicate themselves
• Functional leaders can be the catalysts and
  contributors but cannot be the sole owners

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THE CEO CHIEF ENGAGEMENT OFFICER Turning
HierarchyUpside Down toDrive Performance
JOHN SMYTHE
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Not to appear..pse print following three slides
as handout

• In London and Chicago

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Our engagement styles impact implementation
tone
body language
language
style

movement, engaging
precise, repetitive, checking stories, fables
authority, expert focus on transfer
of knowledge energetic
EXPERT/ TEACHER




everyone, eye contact


EVANGELIST
expansive
positive jokes humour
upbeat, excited sound bites, passion, loud high
energy, quite short bursts





ONE OF THE GANG
reflectingaudience
jargon of audiencestreet humour,
irreverence, conspiring, low-key personal, cult



not reflecting the target of change
challenge, create new jargon, optional/joker
cocky, irreverent
MAVERICK



reassuring
confessional, neutral, reflecting audience
agreement, secrecy, security, assurance empathy
rather than humour
CONFIDANT



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Our engagement styles impact implementation
tone
body language
language
style


two handed, equal attention

ARBITER
even, firm, unexcitable, measured

simple


TEASE/FLIRT
coquettish
flattering personal, humour
light








LOBBYISTS
pressing, firm, melodious

expert words, jargon, confidential self confident
attention keeping







BULLY
direct
emphatic
clipped terminal
smug
SNIPER
gotcha!
still till ambush
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Our engagement styles impact implementation
tone
body language
language
style
VISIONARY
conviction
presidential
value-laden, well-chosen, well-versed, imagery, me
taphor












friendly but slightly distant, confident
openness, embracing
accessible, collaborative, story telling
TEAM COACH








REPORTER
credibility without ownership of the issues
straightforward, unambiguous, factual
statuesque, slow motion








aloof, dismissive sweeping
rigid, standing
clipped, no humour
AUTOCRAT