Getting Back To Business

Community Manager — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:34:00 GMT

September is the time when America's workers put away the beach gear and renew their focus on work. Summer tans may be fading but smart employees can keep a glow by re-engaging at work.

Author and employee retention expert Leigh Branham has made a career out of teaching employers how to engage and retain employees. But any successful relationship is a two-way street and employees owe it to themselves to self-engage on the job.

This September, commit yourself to focusing on Branham's five principles of employee self-engagement that he posits in Re-Engage: How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times. Branham argues that employees should take responsibility for engagement by:

Working for managers you respect in fields where you believe that you're making important contributions.
Understanding your strengths and pursing work that lets you use and improve those abilities.
Thinking of your job not as a static set of responsibilities but as a dynamic and growing relationship; identifying areas where you can contribute before you are asked. Seek opportunities; don't wait for them.
Learning to communicate assertively with your manager.
Learning to manage your stress and energy level. You are responsible for you.

Assess your job using Branham's five principles and see how you measure up. Use September to sync up your situation with these principles; you may find that commitment to self-engagement renews your vigor at work.

What steps do you take to self-engage at work? Do you have any tips for getting back to business after the lazy days of summer? Share your thoughts here and on the Beyond Folders Community's Facebook and Twitter pages.

by Carly Fadako

Beyond Folders : communication skills, back to business

Getting Back To Business