Operations leaders need to look closely at this behavioral attribute and think about it from two perspectives.
Externally, when looking at bringing new candidates on board and internally when leading existing teams.
When meeting with candidates, hiring managers need to consider several critical factors. From the conversation, does the candidate show signs of strong Excitement “behaviors”? Does he or she enjoy challenges, and to what degree will the work variety keep them motivated? In some operations, change is routine and in others, it rarely occurs. Regardless of the option, what will be the impact for your candidate? In mid to large operations, group dynamics can be an important factor. What is this candidate’s tolerance for risk relative to his/her peers? Will the candidate be willing to do what’s aligned with the goals of the operation, even if it’s not aligned with the other workers on the floor?
Finding ways to help your employees make their work more exciting will play a significant role in enhancing their engagement. Happy and satisfied employees are more productive, and engaged workers tend to stick around longer.
Todd Nordstrom (director for the O.C. Tanner Institute), states there are three simple ways to make your employees excited to come to work every day:
- Connect on purpose; it’s important to have conversations about why they are working for your organization or team in the first place to help them remember their meaningful reason.
- Provide great opportunities to engage your employees in their work so they feel energized that their efforts create value.
- Appreciate and recognize your employees to ensure they feel like a necessary part of your organization and also realize the value they provide.
The greatest responsibility for creating the circumstances for exciting work rests with the immediate line manager. All we can do as a leader is to give our people every reason to engage. Employees are three-to-four times more likely to stay with an organization if they feel their work is exciting.
Across the long term horizon, employers have seen a continuous shift in the applicant pool for every position in a distribution operation. Compare the industrial revolution through the Second World War and then jump to today… the processes are similar but the jobs are very different. Across your career, you will see tremendous shifts in behavior and technology offerings intended to make the people and the processes more efficient. The one constant however is the DNA of Success.
With decades of warehouse, manufacturing, and logistics experience, we understand the challenges you face when building a team or an organization.