Page 233 - Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles

204 Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work

each of the RESPECT drivers. (For more information, visit my
website at therespectmodel.com.) Leaders are often surprised
by the results of this assessment and become much more recep-
tive to coaching. As an example, Tim was the president of a
midsized organization experiencing turmoil and turnover in its
management team. He attributed the problems to current eco-
nomic conditions, but I was pretty sure it had more to do with
his leadership. The assessment results clearly pointed to the
disrespectful treatment of his people as the root of the problem.
Although Tim found this feedback surprising and disturbing, it
made him receptive to RESPECT training and ultimately trans-
formed his relationships with his team.
At the organizational level, I utilize the RESPECT Organi-
zational Culture and Employee Engagement Survey to provide
organizations with a diagnostic assessment of their current level
of employee engagement and the extent to which their organiza-
tion fosters a culture of RESPECT for all employees. As with the
individual leader assessment, the results of this instrument pro-
vide fodder for organizational leaders to recognize opportunities
for improvement. When leaders recognize how much they are los-
ing in discretionary effort based on the engagement level of their
workforce, and how relatively easily and inexpensively they can
make changes to increase engagement, their readiness to change
increases dramatically. Obviously, the leadership team must not
only understand and support the RESPECT Model at a concep-
tual level but also “walk the talk” and serve as role models.

The Future of Respect

My father once told me that every generation believes that each
subsequent generation is less respectful. It could be that what