Mile High Employee Engagement

April 20, 2016 by

building a magnetic cultureAs an author, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing someone reading your book. The first time I witnessed this was on an airplane, when the woman sitting next to me pulled my book, Building a Magnetic Culture, out of her bag and started reading it. Needless to say, I smiled widely.

I then asked her, “How do you like that book?” Thankfully she said, “I love it. It’s full of neat and new ideas that we are implementing at our company to build and foster employee engagement.” She then asked me if I had read it and I got to say, “Yes, I have read it because I actually wrote it.” How fun is that? She looked at my picture on the back jacket cover and verified that I was indeed the author. I pulled my blue pen out and signed it for her, as I have done for more than 28,000 people at conferences, management retreats, and private client events. She was thrilled and engaged in getting personal attention and advice the entire rest of the flight.

The second time I ran into someone reading my book was on spring break when I took my family to the Grand Cayman Islands. Imagine my surprise when, during a seven mile walk along the beach, I saw a woman reading that same New York Times Best-Seller. I had a similar conversation as I did with the woman on the plane, and signed her book right there on the beach. I was honored to see someone enjoying the book I wrote while she was on vacation.

Getting such positive feedback from readers has been an incredibly rewarding part of becoming an author. In writing my books, I wanted to truly help people. When I give keynotes and engage with people directly, I can tell they’re learning, but it’s great to hear that people are putting the advice in the books to use.

One person who sticks out in my mind is the PHO Director of Doctors Hospital of Renaissance, Ms. Paulette Saca, who told me that my book was her bible at work. I said, “Your bible? Wow. Are you serious?” She said, “Very serious. In fact, I have tons of sticky notes demarking all of great takeaways on culture and employee engagement. I’ll send you a picture.” And this is what she sent:
building a magnetic culture

I’m thankful for all of the positive feedback people give me directly, and when people take the time to write book reviews on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. These reviews are gifts to authors. We cherish them. So a big thank you to all of you who have written reviews.

Thinking back on the experience of getting feedback on my books, it reminds me of past jobs where I received performance reviews. It feels good to be recognized for doing your best and getting positive results. After all, recognition is the number one driver in employee engagement. Just knowing that people are still reading and learning from Building a Magnetic Culture and The Virtual Manager is enough to inspire me to keep going.

Does anyone at your organization need a reminder of how much they and their work are appreciated? Don’t delay in sharing how you feel.

 

 

Kevin Sheridan is an internationally-recognized Keynote Speaker, a New York Times Best Selling Author, and one of the most sought-after voices in the world on the topic of Employee Engagement. For five years running, he has been honored on Inc. Magazine’s top 100 Leadership Speakers in the world, as well as Inc.’s top 100 experts on Employee Engagement. He was also honored to be named to The Employee Engagement Award’s Top 101 Global Influencers on Employee Engagement of 2017.

Having spent thirty years as a high-level Human Capital Management consultant, Kevin has helped some of the world’s largest corporations rebuild a culture that fosters productive engagement, earning him several distinctive awards and honors. Kevin’s premier creation, PEER®, has been consistently recognized as a long-overdue, industry-changing innovation in the field of Employee Engagement. His first book, Building a Magnetic Culture, made six of the best seller lists including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. He is also the author of The Virtual Manager, which explores how to most effectively manage remote workers.

Kevin received a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School in 1988, concentrating his degree in Strategy, Human Resources Management, and Organizational Behavior. He is also a serial entrepreneur, having founded and sold three different companies.

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Email: kevin@kevinsheridanllc.com