Page 105 - Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles

76 Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work

more connected to one another; naturally, the more unusual
the common denominator, the stronger the sense of connect-
edness. There is another important reason that learning more
about people is important. A better understanding of someone’s
background often leads to more tolerance, compassion, and
understanding. In fact, just a single piece of information might
completely change the lens through which you look at someone
and interpret his or her actions.
Over the years I have created an exercise called “Your Story”
that I use to begin all RESPECT Team Building sessions. The
exercise is a series of questions about one’s life. Although the
issues are not overly personal, participants may skip any they
prefer not to address. Sample questions include, “Where were
you born and raised?” “What is the most adventurous or dan-
gerous thing you’ve done?” and “What is the best career advice
you ever received?” (I have included the full list of questions
and directions for implementing the exercise in the Appendix.)
Each time I facilitate this exercise, I am reminded that people
who have worked with one another for long periods of time actu-
ally know little about each other. Moreover, I am amazed by the
impact of this sharing on people’s relationships. Team mem-
bers always leave this session with a greater understanding and
appreciation for one another. Moreover, relationships typically
grow beyond this session as team members find reasons to get
together outside of work based on their newly discovered com-
mon interests or activities. Your Story is a free, easy-to-facilitate
exercise that will have a significant impact on your team mem-
bers’ respect for one another and engagement to their group.

Respect for the Work
Has a supervisor ever asked you to do a task that you know is
absolutely meaningless and far beneath your skill level? If so,