Jim Harter: Culture Shock
Get ready for fascinating and relevant insights on this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times, featuring Jim Harter, PhD, Gallup’s Chief Scientist of Workplace Management and Wellbeing. He’s sharing with Host Chris Schembra all the eye-opening research and analysis behind his latest book (co-authored with Jim Clifton of the Clifton Strengths Assessment),"Culture Shock: An unstoppable force has changed how we work and live. Gallup's solution to the biggest leadership issue of our time." The key takeaway? Nothing cements employee performance, satisfaction and retention more effectively than regular, meaningful conversations – especially when they include recognition for work well done. It costs leaders very little and, data indicate, pays off over and over again in bottom-line results. Dr. Jim explains the research and analysis that the Gallup organization has undertaken to address the biggest leadership challenges of our time, including the stresses of remote work, the limited wellbeing associated with four-day work weeks and the critical role that empathy plays in engaging with and bringing out the best in our workplace cultures. Dr. Jim’s new book is jam-packed with stats and evidence-backed solutions to align your company’s purpose with employee satisfaction – which ultimately translates into that all-important customer success!
Want to hear much more from Dr. Jim Harter? Pick up a copy of his latest collaboration, "Culture Shock," check out his bestselling book, "12:The Elements of Great Managing" or click here to check out "Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements."
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Click here to hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainers who have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times.
KEY TOPICS:
If you could give credit or thanks to one person in your life that you don’t give enough credit or thanks to – that you’ve never thought to thank – who would that be and why? Frank Schmidt, PhD, a research scientist and mentor who reshaped Dr. Jim’s approach to people, research and the role of gratitude in the context of employee engagement.
Culture Shock: Co-authored with Jim Clifton, this latest collaboration uses Gallup data and qualitative snapshots to unpack the post-Covid workforce and workplace future.
Important Findings:
For workers, overall stress has continued on an upward trajectory but remote work has offered welcome freedom (from things like commuting).
For leaders, there’s uncertainty about how to monitor remote worker productivity.
Data suggest that there’s plenty of room for businesses to thrive.
A Great Reset: Why leaders who clearly define (and communicate) workplace culture, customer experience and organizational values are most likely to ride out recession.
Customer Success: About the importance of employee satisfaction and loyalty when it comes to quality service delivery and long-term, bottom-line corporate results.
Managing Strengths: Understanding employee styles, aspirations and experiences is a key component for engagement, retention, job and customer satisfaction.
Manager to Employee to Customer: How the interplay among all three elements determines corporate success.
Changing the Dialogue: How empathy can open up the conversations that managers need to be having with employees to overcome workplace disconnects.
Meaningful Conversations: Gallup research indicates that recognition and gratitude are among the most powerful tools we have to cultivate workplace community and loyalty.
Components of Meaningful Conversations:
Recognize specific, recent work efforts.
Understand what motivates good work.
Know the context of the employee’s particular work.
Meet on an ongoing basis.
Collaborate and coordinate remote compared with in-person hours.
Wellbeing v. Engagement: Why stats indicate that the benefits of four-day work weeks are offset in many cases by the stress of compressed schedules and loss of autonomy.
Blenders and Splitters: About the difference between people who prefer to compartmentalize work and family life and those who take a multi-task approach.
Step. No. 1: Dr. Jim recommends managers adopt the coaching habit of one meaningful conversation every week grounded in empathy, understanding and accountability.
QUOTABLE
“A lot of people don’t know their impact on you until you tell them.” (Dr. Jim)
“Gratitude is an inherently pro-social trait that feels good to give, to receive and to observe. But we have to take the first step.” (Chris)
“Gratitude is contagious and creates a positive upward smile. It’s one of the most positive forces in the universe because it keeps on giving.” (Chris)
“There’s plenty of data to show that great managing can make workplaces more productive than they’ve ever been before. If we combine autonomy with great performance management, we can reach all-time highs.” (Dr. Jim)
“To get the right customer experience, you’ve got to have the right employee experience.” (Dr. Jim)
“Sometimes all you need to do to shorten the distance between employer and employee is just ask your team, ‘How do you like to be recognized? How do you like to receive gratitude?’ How do you like your wins celebrated?’ ” (Chris)
“The reason managers are so important is that they’re the only ones inside organizations who know the idiosyncrasies of each person and have the opportunity to get to know their situations – and that’s never been more important than it is right now.” (Dr. Jim)
LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES:
Learn more about the Clifton Strengths Assessment.
Jim’s Harvard Business Review article, "What Great Managers Do to Engage Employees."
ABOUT OUR GUEST:
Jim Harter, Ph.D., is Chief Scientist for Gallup's workplace management and wellbeing practices. He is the coauthor of the No. 1 Wall Street Journal and Washington Post bestseller, "It's the Manager", released in 2019. His work has appeared in the Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company and Time magazine in addition to many academic publications.
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ABOUT OUR HOST:
Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times.
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