RESOURCES

Taking Effective Action To Produce Results

Today we start with a new topic, and it is a big one…exploring the dynamics of taking effective action to produce results.

The Gallup Organization surveys workers around the world as to how engaged they are in their workplace. Engaged workers are more productive and generate better results. Gallup defines engaged employees as “those who are involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace.”
The United States has one of the most engaged workforces in the world…often ranking number one. And, the percentage of engaged workers in the USA in 2014 was the highest since 2000.
All good news, correct? Maybe not. Before you read on, guess what the percentage is for engaged workers in the USA………..
The percentage in 2014 of engaged employees was 31.5%. Ouch!
51% were “not engaged,” and 17.5% were “actively disengaged.”
Being not engaged or actively disengaged (68.5% of the workforce) is obviously not going to rank well in the category of taking effective action to produce results.
And that is just talking about the workplace. What about at home, in relationships, in parenting, in marriage, in volunteering, in community projects, in church, in all other facets of life? I wonder what the engagement percentages are in those areas?

Think about this for yourself. Defining engagement as “being involved, enthusiastic about and committed” rate your engagement percentage in the areas of your life I just mentioned, if they apply to you.

Then I challenge you to think about each and non-judgmentally reflect upon why the percentage is what it is (whether it is high or low or somewhere in between).
……..now that is some interesting food for thought.
Also, it is important to note that being engaged (involved, enthusiastic about and committed) is no guarantee for effective action and results. How many times have you been involved, enthusiastic about and committed to a project, job, relationship, initiative, or self-improvement focus and been not generated the results you desired?
Once we start really considering this, it becomes apparent how interwoven this topic is into every aspect of both our internal life and external life.
One of the things I love most about this topic is that there are some pretty simple building blocks to keep in place in this arena that make a huge difference in….
  • The results you generate,
  • The experience you are having along the way, and
  • What you are learning in the process.
I am looking forward to diving into those over the next several weeks.
But, to start today, my request is that you self-reflect upon the considerations I mentioned above.
Ponder and consider ….
  • Your engagement level in each of the areas and arenas of your life and
  • How effectively you are in action and producing results in those areas.