Research on employee commitment to organizational goals indicates that only slightly more than 1 out of 4 employees (29%) are actively engaged. With less than one-third of all employees showing up “on purpose”— and willing to invest their discretionary efforts to make a difference in helping their organizations succeed, it is evident that this sobering statistic indicates establishing competitive advantage is a very real challenge.
When it comes to culture change there is no “work-around.” Without fully engaged employees it is difficult, if not impossible, to develop a service-selling team and execute a growth strategy. In our experience, lack of active engagement is often caused by issues such as a lack of organizational alignment or employee confidence and belief that they have the ability to contribute in a meaningful way to organizational goals.
Ultimately, employees must take responsibility for their congruence and their success. That said—frontline management can have a dramatic impact on increasing their engagement by effectively coaching employees to make a personal commitment. If effective, this will reinforce the belief that selling is a noble act when it is based on the fundamental principles of ethics and integrity.
But coaching alone is not enough. In our experience it also requires implementing a performance improvement process that builds their competence, confidence and commitment. This will insure that selling and serving members is viewed as achieving the same outcome— creating more value . . . and a competitive advantage for your credit union.
