Secret #2 is simple. Create Champions.

The Champion Analysis is one of three headline measures used in our study and is based on an approach developed by Kevin Thomson. On one axis you have the intellectual understanding of an organization’s strategy, and on the other axis the personal commitment employees have towards making the strategy successful. The Champion Analysis therefore results in four categories of employees: Champions, Bystanders, Loose Cannons and Weak Links.

 

Knowledge is power, so an understanding of the composition of employees in your organisation based on the Champion Analysis can guide you towards creating engaged employees – that is, Champions!

A Champion is an employee that both understands the organisation’s strategy and is personally committed to making it a success. They are more productive, more efficient, more driven. They create customer experiences worthy of recommendation. They bolster the bottom-line. These are all earmarks of discretionary effort.

  • A Champion puts in 17% more discretionary effort than a Loose Cannon.
  • A Champion puts in 30% more discretionary effort than a Bystander.
  • A Champion puts in 38% more discretionary effort than a Weak Link.

But… less than half of Australian employees are Champions. Or in other words, more than half of Australian employees either…

  • Don’t understand their organisation’s strategy
  • Don’t care about the strategy, or worse yet
  • Both of the above

We believe the Champions Analysis is an invaluable tool in evaluating employee engagement.

At the end of the day, the onus is on leaders to constantly and consistently ‘Tell & Sell’ their strategic direction to the employees. Don’t just tell them once. Tell them again, and again. Relentlessly communicate the strategy and vision until it is firmly embedded.

It is about education and empowerment – let each individual know they can play a part in contributing to the success of their organisation’s strategy.

But we are eager to hear your thoughts: do you believe Champions characterise your organisation? How has your organisation gone about creating Champions?

To download your complimentary copy of The State of Employee Engagement in Australia – click here.

Stay tuned for the next instalment of the Employee Engagement Blog Series, presenting the state of employee engagement in Australia: where we are, where we could be, and secrets of how to get there.