Lessons on Performance Management from the Dog Park

Some of the most insightful conversations about business occur at the dog park.  Perhaps this is because people are relaxed, away from the work setting, and have a chance to reflect on their business. Jack, my high energy black/chocolate lab mix, and I visited the dog park again this week. Last week, we discussed On Boarding Strategies. This week we shift our focus to Performance Management as a tool for engaging employees.

A fellow small business owner talked with me about productivity issues at his firm. He works in a competitive industry and needs his employees to bring a high degree of passion, energy and creativity to the workplace each day in order to stay ahead of his competition. Yet that is not occurring in his business. I asked if he had a performance management system in place so that employees have clarity in their roles and responsibilities in order to move the business forward. He said they were too busy to implement a system. He also believed that employees should intuitively know their roles and responsibilities. He admitted there is some conflict in the workplace and several key employees have “resigned in place”. He is sincerely concerned about losing those valuable team members. We discussed the following key opportunity areas:

1. Do you have current job descriptions in place for all your employees?
As a result of the recent changes in the workplace, many firms have asked their employees to take on additional responsibilities. Employees are being asked to handle an increased workload with fewer resources. Have your job descriptions been updated to reflect these changes?

2. Have you identified the strengths, talents and competencies that each employee will need to be successful in their new and/or expanded roles?
Businesses are experiencing significant challenges in today’s competitive environment. As my husband often says, “we all need to get smarter every day”. Consider performing a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) on your team to identify strengths as well as development opportunities.  These development opportunities can help enrich corporate culture and bolster employee engagement.

Lessons on Strategic Planning from the Dog Park

My young lab, Jack, and I visited the Dog Park in Cincinnati this weekend. We met a small business owner and had an in-depth conversation as we walked the perimeter of the dog park. He asked for suggestions on ways in which he could improve his business. He had recently lost several of his top performing employees and was evaluating his business to see where he could improve. As you can imagine, he was very concerned about employee engagement and productivity. You’ve probably heard the statistics; 1 in 5 workers plan to change jobs in 2010 (from CareerBuilder Survey, January 2010). You may be contemplating the same issue about your business.



Here are 10 fundamental tips to maximize employee engagement:


1. Does your company have a mission and vision? If so, does it reflect your current business, or does it need to be revised?
2. Has your mission and vision been communicated to employees? What methods are you using to relay this information – newsletters, intranet, emails, one on one meetings or discussions, group meetings, or a combination?
3. Do you have 1 year, 3 year and 5 year goals for your business? Are they written down? Does your management team fully support those goals? Or are you frequently operating in “fire fighting” mode?
4. Do you have the correct organizational structure in place to meet your current business needs? Are there initiatives that are falling through the cracks? Are you maximizing the talents and strengths of your human capital?
5. How would you characterize your company’s culture? Do all of your employees appear to be enthusiastic and engaged when they come to work? Or do you have people who have “resigned in their place”?

Employee Engagement Lessons from the Dog Park

My black lab, “Jack”, looks forward to spending Sunday afternoons at the dog park. It is a treat for both the owner and the dog. Yesterday, it was raining in Cincinnati, yet there were still a lot of people at the facility. I wondered what compels people to come out and stand in the cold rain to watch their dogs play; beyond their basic love of dogs. I put on my business hat and pondered what key learnings would apply to business. After much reflection, it came to me. As business leaders, how can we create an environment in which people are excited to come to work, even on difficult days, and fully engage their natural talents?

Jack and I visited a new dog park this weekend. Upon entering facility, there was a sign that provided guidelines for using the park. We stopped to read the sign and observed other dog owners and their pets. Our goal was to identify both the written and unwritten guidelines for the park. This prompted me to think of new hire orientations and on-boarding. As business owners, we need to communicate our expectations to new employees upfront. It is important that new employees learn both the written and unwritten policies and procedures. In addition, we need to help new employees develop positive working relationships throughout the organization. When performance expectations are clearly communicated, employees have a greater opportunity for success.

As leaders, it is critical that we identify employees’ natural gifts and talents, and place them in roles which allow them to freely utilize their strengths. There was a beautiful greyhound at the dog park. He was standing quietly in group and did not interact much with the other dogs. His owner threw a ball to the far side of the park. The greyhound took off running to fetch the ball. He broke into a beautiful, fast stride around the park. The other dogs in the group followed, but the greyhound leaped out in front of them. It was beautiful to see the greyhound striding with such freedom, grace and confidence. Employees inherently want to do good work and feel a sense of accomplishment. We need to look for opportunities and create an environment which unleashes their natural talents.

Another interesting observation was related to learning and knowledge acquisition at the dog park. There were several mini communities that formed. Dogs and owners would cluster around one group for an activity such as a game of tennis ball toss and fetch. One dog started the game while the others watched. The other dogs joined in after a few tosses. After the dogs progressed in their knowledge and mastered the tennis ball game, especially the “teaching” role, they would move on to a new and more challenging game such as Frisbee toss and fetch, and become a “student” again. While the dogs were learning from each other, the owners were sharing their lessons learned in training their pets. As business leaders, we need to search for opportunities to create “learning communities” in our organizations, which fosters relationships and facilitates the lateral transfer of knowledge. Every person has life experiences from which learning can be derived. Additionally, we need continually assign challenging assignments that empower and foster growth in our employees.

Employee engagement can be cultivated through a number of methods. When employees are fully engaged, they can propel your business forward and help you to leap ahead of your competition.

Chrissann Ruehle is Co-Founder of Black Lab Ventures, LLC. A human resources management consulting business, Black Lab Ventures focuses on on-boarding, training & development, performance management, and health & wellness initiatives. Our signature service, called Culture Branding, is a form of employer branding designed to help companies attract top talent and retain employees they already have. For small businesses, we offer our HR Start-Up Kits – a simple and affordable method to achieve an HR presence. We also offer full service packages for mid and large-sized companies, and function as a complement to their HR departments so they can focus on their core business.

For more information, please visit our website at
http://www.blacklabventures.com/ or feel free to call us at 513-443-2365.

Cultivating an “EE Thumb” for Growing Employee Engagement in Your Organization

During this time of year in Ohio and many other areas throughout the country, gardening enthusiasts are busy planning their gardens. Gardening enthusiasts use the term “green thumb” to describe a person who is a gardening expert. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines this term as “an unusual ability to make plants grow”. As leaders and managers of our organizations, we can learn from the gardening pros and apply those same concepts to growing employee engagement in our business. We can develop an "EE Thumb".

The economic recession has taken its toll on employee engagement in many firms. Merit increases and bonuses have been suspended.  Budgets have been severely reduced. Employees are feeling the strain and pressure to perform. Today, many leaders are asking what they can do to re-energize, empower, and super-charge their teams.


What can we learn from gardening pros?

1. Gardeners focus on selecting the right plot. Leaders should assess their business model to determine: a. whether they are in the right business or not, and b. identify additional opportunities to expand their business.


2. Gardeners audit the soil. Leaders need to assess their processes, people and technology to ensure they are creating an environment that fosters growth in people and ideas.


3. Gardeners create a plan and they work the plan. If leaders wish to fully engage their employees, it is critical that they create a plan. Success requires planning, patience and persistence. Employees crave recognition and praise.


4. Gardeners ensure their garden receives a sufficient mixture of sun and rain. Leaders should celebrate company successes and dedicate sufficient time to learn from mistakes and failures so the company can continue its forward movement. Leaders need to create a positive environment in which employees are encouraged to grow and learn from problems.


5. Gardeners dedicate time for weeding. As leaders, it is critical that we routinely monitor engagement and search for opportunities to weed out destructive processes, procedures or negativity in the firm.


By developing a game plan and implementing systematic processes, leaders indeed will develop an EE-Thumb for growing employee engagement in their firms.

Chrissann Ruehle is Co-Founder of Black Lab Ventures, LLC. A human resources management consulting firm, Black Lab Ventures specializes in providing organizational development, onboading, training and development, health and wellness solutions, in addition to our Black Lab Culture Branding services for businesses. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.blacklabventures.com/ or feel free to call us at 513-443-2365.