The Secret to an Engaged Business with Stefan Wissenbach, Founder and CEO of Engagement Multiplier

Employee engagement has always been important. It has never been more important than it is now.  The realities of the pandemic, combined with technological advances, have created a new era where remote work is a standard part of business. Company culture is critical, a bigger mission is vital, and an environment that employees value is essential. In this episode of Powered by Instinct, our host David Kolbe welcomes Stefan Wissenbach, the founder and CEO of Engagement Multiplier. After spending years in consultancy, Stefan realized his purpose was to help companies improve employee engagement by offering tools that can measure and build upon it. After all, as Stefan says, “what gets measured can be improved.” Stefan and David discuss steps to improve the employee experience, and Stefan shares a valuable framework that he refers to as ABC: Alignment, Belonging, and Clarity. They also talk successful teams.  Host: David Kolbe (8273)Guest-at-a-Glance Name: Stefan Wissenbach (5492)What he does: Stefan is the founder and CEO of Engagement Multiplier. Company: Engagement Multiplier Noteworthy: Stefan has been working with entrepreneurs and business leaders for three decades on an industry that ''hit the headlines'' once the pandemic began and continues to be a giant priority in the post-pandemic business world: employee engagement.  Where to find Stefan: LinkedIn Podcast Insights 🎙️It's time for companies to focus on employee experience. Companies put a lot of effort into measuring specific business segments, such as finance. But, as Stefan suggests, we need to extend that practice and measure employee experience if we want our business to thrive. ''We spend a huge amount of time in business measuring financial performance. [...] Also, if we're doing any marketing, we are very clear on measuring stats. [...] For many years, I spent a lot of time measuring the guest experience but not enough time, in my opinion, on measuring the employee experience. And yet, without a great employee experience, there is no great customer experience.'' 🎙️A sense of belonging is as essential as the paycheck. A high salary is not the strongest retention tool in the modern-day business world. On the contrary, today's workforce wants to feel valued; employees want to know that their opinions and efforts matter. ''We're in the era of belonging. People want to feel part of something. It's right in the middle of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. If you remove it, people are just there for a paycheck. Those are the employees you're gonna lose. But self-actualization and everything else is built on belonging. So, to create a sense of belonging, being open with your team and communicating with them about the organization and their perception of it, what you're doing and everything else is fundamental.'' 🎙️Promote open communication. Employee engagement will improve once you develop a culture of trust and communication. Companies must encourage employees to speak openly about the things that positively or negatively affect their productivity and share ideas, doubts, and concerns. A leadership team may comprise experts capable of creating a good communication strategy, but if you are making it for employees, you must involve them in the process. ''We spend too much time, as leaders, focusing on revolution rather than evolution. We need to listen, understand, and then implement.'' ***Find the freedom to be yourself by taking the Kolbe A™ Index or Kolbe Y™ Index for the youth in your life. Many successful companies work directly with a Kolbe Certified™ Consultant — find one in your area.