Let me narrate an incident today. Back in 2003, my father came to visit me in Bangalore while I was doing my graduation. It was a moment of sheer joy for me. The very thought of spending time with him and getting a chance to eat outside the hostel for few days was like one of life’s dearest dreams coming true.
For a change, he took me to a restaurant where I had never eaten before. I was reluctant but accompanied him. We ordered some Indian delicacies. To my horror, one of my favourite dishes “looked” different. It was not visually appealing to me at all; I had never seen the dish with this kind of garnishing before. My moment of happiness had turned into an unpleasant experience. I would just not touch the dish and insisted on ordering something else or walk out of the restaurant.
My father was calm as usual; he was relishing it. I asked him “how can you even taste it?” He smiled at me and said “It is yummy. Your grandmother used to prepare it this way and we used to wait for the day when she would cook it. I am tasting this after so so many years. He started mentioning the ingredients one by one. He would take a bite and say a little bit more about my grand mom’s recipe and style of cooking and mention something about his childhood experiences along with it.
Slowly I picked up the spoon and tasted it. It was not the usual but it was good. I was thoroughly engaged in the conversation which added to the delight of sharing a meal with him. I ate my whole share and I liked it for sure.
This was one of the best engaging conversations I had in my life so far. A simple yet powerful conversation that helped me to break a barrier in my mind. The best thing about the conversation was my father didn’t force me or ask me to try or eat the dish for once. The storytelling was so engaging that I decided to give it a try.
Similarly, at workplaces, the rules of engagement have changed. Engagement cannot be a push factor;
it is not about driving compliance. Engagement is beyond presenting PPTs; it is even beyond the “meeting room” discussions with employees. It is not just hearing out; it’s about focusing on solutions rather than gratifying the problems. An engaged employee is a productive employee. He/She is convinced that he/she is part of the bigger picture; is valued and is contributing to the overall strategy of the organization. Engagement is not the end year goal; it is a continuous process- how do we create meaningful & delightful opportunities and experiences for our people on a daily basis?
One of the ways to effectively do this is storytelling. Not just “sell stories” but to “share experiences” highlighting the culture, values and greatness of any organization. The need is to create a framework where we don’t just “induct” people; we “bond” them with the organization! The ability to connect, listen, share, resolve and work together is what will help in creating sustainable workplaces with a work culture that will automatically drive people to become aligned with organisation goals.
– Article by Puja Archana De