They say extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. When it comes to employee retention for a growing business, it will always feel like extraordinary times. But with the right knowledge and the right culture, you can get extraordinary results with some pretty simple measures.
So, what are some of these steps you can take for high employee retention?
To answer that question, Kolbe Corp CEO David Kolbe interviewed one of the leading authorities on employee engagement, Stefan Wissenbach.
Wissenbach is the Founder and CEO of Engagement Multiplier, so he has a lot of data, experience, and insight on employee retention. One of the first things he stressed is the power of natural strengths to build and maintain a truly engaged team, and the considerable value that Kolbe assessments and solutions have brought to his team.
“One thing that’s been a huge breakthrough for us,” Wissenbach stated, “is the ability to put a team together that has complimentary MO’s (strengths). Having that information, it’s almost like a secret superpower.”
His further advice for engaging employees? Stick with the ABC’s of engagement: Alignment, Belonging, and Clarity.
In Kolbe terms, alignment specifically refers to ensuring each team member has a role that matches up with their natural strengths. The alignment referred to here is more broad, but requires that role alignment, nonetheless.
For a culture to be aligned, team members need to be on the same page about the organization’s direction, what’s working and what’s not working, and a connection on where you’re going. It requires feedback, and it requires consistent communication.
Kolbe informs you so that your members are aligned to their roles, which leads to organizational alignment. A greater understanding of each other’s strengths also optimizes collaboration and communication, creating greater alignment across the team.
“We’re in this era of belonging,” said Wissenbach. “People want to feel part of something. It’s right in the middle of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. If you remove it, people are just there for a paycheck. Those are the employees you’re going to lose.”
A lot of things factor into an employee feeling like they belong. One of the biggest?
The freedom to be themselves.
“As a leader,” Amy Bruske, President of Kolbe Corp explains, “it starts with getting together and making sure everyone understands each other’s strengths. Then you know who you can count on to do what, and that builds trust immediately.”
Another way to build that trust is by including them in the thought process of the business and being open to feedback.
“They need to feel part of your journey,” Wissenbach emphasized. “When you get that right, it’s magical.”
Amy Bruske, President of Kolbe Corp
Do you have clarity on why you do what you do and what you want to accomplish in business?
Even Wissenbach needed some inspiration to find it.
“I was at a Strategic Coach workshop, many years ago,” he explained to David Kolbe. “And I sat next to a chap called Peter Diamandis, and he asked me what my MTP was, which is your Massive Transformational Purpose.”
Stefan didn’t have one.
So, he spent some time thinking about it, and decided his MTP was to help a hundred million people become measurably more engaged.
“I wasn’t going to do that through consulting,” he realized. “And so, that led to thinking about how could that be true, realizing that we would need to take advantage of the power of technology in order to reach a far broader audience. Without that realization, I wouldn’t be running the business that I am today.”
A great team needs to have a clear purpose, and to receive clear messaging on what they’re working toward and how they’re going to accomplish it. It’s one of many reasons Kolbe uses Engagement Multiplier as well.
Kolbe Corp’s mission is to help people understand their own and each other’s instinctive strengths and use that understanding to improve their lives in the ways they care about most.
It’s a superpower that has allowed Stefan Wissenbach to create a truly engaged team. Now, it’s your turn.
Ready to unlock your superpowers in pursuit of your purpose? The best place to start is by taking the Kolbe A™ Index.
Download an Engagement Multiplier Toolkit
