25 Top Tweets From The 2013 RSA Chief Executives Annual Lecture

Last night, Matthew Taylor delivered his annual lecture at the Royal Society of the Arts in London "What Does It Mean To Be A Citizen At Work"

wordcloud generated from hashtag #RSAemployment (Click for full size image)

As part of the Engage for Success movement, I was in equal parts excited, intrigued, and also slightly worried about what might be said. But the energy and gravitas at the packed auditorium lead to some fantastic debate - leaving me with no doubt that Employee Engagement is about to reach the top of the corporate agenda in the UK.

If you didn't get the chance to attend, then here are some of the Twitter highlights from those present (both in the room, and virtually via the live feed)

1. So I'm a crushed middle manager working for an emotionally unintelligent sociopath. Right?! - LukeRobboUK
2. If you want to solve complex problems you need clumsy solutions - becca_mchase
3. The correlation between employee engagement and wellbeing is compelling - gbminds
4. A tipping point is possible when individualistic, organisational, and managerial intent align - AuditFutures
5. Research shows CEO’s biggest block to employee engagement is that it’s more emotionally demanding than command and control - GuyCorbet
6. Strong strategic narrative about an organisation's purpose is a key principal - commsdan
7. Media not interested in the debate around engagement - do they think it's not interesting? Yet stats show it's so important - jododds
8. Work can be unbureaucratic, purpose-driven, autonomous, multi-skilled, collaborative and deeply satisfying - LukeRobboUK
9. Find 20% engagement improvement in one hour of real listening - ChangeTheLogic
10. Mid-staffs shows collective representation no protection from lack of employee voice - croftpod
11. Better work should be everyone's business - Engage4Success
12. By enriching our working lives we can tackle our nation's key economic and social charges - LukeRobboUK
13. Wendy Cartwright - meaning of work had changed but human nature has not - gordonslaven
14. Organisations need to have a purpose beyond making money. They need to do something useful that makes money - hazelhodgins
15. Good to hear talk of meaningful work & sense of purpose. Even in tough economic times we shouldn't just be grateful for a job - jonnygiff
16. This will require a step up for leaders. How can we help them achieve that and not be seen as wimps? ChangeTheLogic
17. Need to see engagement as investment in asset, not an additional cost - croftpod
18. Being free to express disagreement in the work place vital for engagement but so rare in my experience - capabilitybrown
19. Young talented people have seen their parents hate working for bureaucracies and start own work instead - jonjalex
20. If UK employees were a football team, at least one would be playing for the other side - johnjalex
21. Maybe change needs no longer be a top-down, but an inside-out process - javierbajer
22. We need to get beyond belief in technology as a means of innovation in work: efficiency over exploration and experimentation - GuyCorbet
23. The best proxy for meaningfulness at work is engagement - johnhitchin
24. Change driven by coalition of actors is always more powerful than a 'good' legislation and comms strategy - AuditFutures
25. Is there a danger of engagement tripping into immobility and over consultation? Let's make sure we do engagement well - ishbel_hunter

My own Twitter commentary from the room can be found here

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Figuring Out the Secret To Keeping Employees Motivated

Those that know me will know that I have a 'thing' for luggage. I've travelled over two million miles in the last decade and learned the value of good packing & good luggage long ago.

I also have a passion for learning about what makes companies resonate with others - and have collected a substantial list of behaviours and attributes that seem to work for most. 

Red Oxx is a company based out of Montana which fulfils all those criteria for me, and I recently discovered this news segment in which their CEO Jim Markel explains how employee engagement creates committed employees who get involved with company growth. (Click here to see the video).

Jim and the team have figured out the secret to keeping employees motivated. They capture the emotion, passion, strengths and values of every employee and demonstrate it with every action they take - be that creation of a better working environment or getting great new innovations into practice. 

Fundamentally, as he explains "It's all about  building culture within your company".

So how does that fit with my check list? Remember this is personal to me, it may not work for you....

1. This is a company that fundamentally does the right thing, they follow what they believe in and demonstrate it in thought, word and deed. Their public persona matches their private behaviour.

2. The passion for their products shines through, the things they create are loved by those that work there, and it shows in the quality and attention to detail.

3. Ethically they fit into my personal world view - whilst they manufacture an American product from mostly American materials in America using Americans, they also support a community in Guatemala creating the monkey fist zip pulls used on the bags - they don't promote this much, it's just something they feel it's right to do. I like the pride in domestic product and humility in helping those with less opportunity.

3. Their customer service is not just amazing, it's human too. If you call them, don't expect to get anything other than an engaged, charming and passionate person on the other end of the line who's willing to help.

4. Nothing is too much trouble. Five years ago we needed a very odd shaped, but simple bag to transport an infant car seat on vacation. The bag was with us in a few days - and the only additional cost from a standard bag was proportional to the additional fabric.

5. They deliver on promises. The end product is every bit as good (if not better) than described. Nobody is tougher on luggage than me and my family, and I simply could not travel effectively without my Air Boss (eldest son loves his Flying Box Car...the list goes on)

I like to buy things from companies I believe in. Hearing Jim talk about employee engagement reinforces my opinion and experience with the company. 

As you read this today, think about the companies you patronise - how many fulfil the criteria that work for me. Is your company behaving in this way? 

What are YOU personally doing to promote passion and engagement in those you work with, work for or manage?

Want to learn more - take a look at Gallups latest on Employee Performance and Engagement here.

Then visit the UK's Engage For Success project for more examples and see how you can help.

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