The Atlas

As we approach the end of the list of Elements of Employee Engagement, we come up on number eleven: In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress. This one is amusing me more than usual at the moment, because this week is my birthday, and I've been reflecting a lot about my own progress. My new weekly video series with my partner Lawrence Henderson is called "Grow or Die" for a reason. I am committed to the idea of getting better -- in anything, everything, all things. Without that underlying goal, I can't envision the motivation to bother getting out of bed in the morning.

In our first joint video, Lawrence Henderson (of BOSS, LLC) and I got the ball rolling on what will be an on-going dialogue on tackling tough topics. Today Lawrence picked the meatiest of all starting points: shame. Spend a few minutes with us going over Brene Brown's influence, getting older, learning your triggers and figuring out empathy.

Join me as I partner with Lawrence Henderson, fellow coach, consultant and speaker, to do a little bit of weekly verbal jousting on issues we see come up with our clients and teams every week.

We've made it almost to the end it to the end of Gallup's Elements of Employee Engagement. Today I want to discuss number ten, which is my personal favorite: I have a best friend at work. This one is my favorite because it's been the one that has helped shape the way I think about the role of work in my life more than any other. Not only have I almost always had a best friend at work, but my best friends in life almost all came from work, too. For me, this one is the most personal.

A successful partnership can make or break your business. But do you know what matters when it comes to picking someone to go into business with? In my career, I've come down to 5 essential areas that need to be reviewed and discussed in order to forge ahead.

#9 on Gallup's Elements of Employee Engagement: My associates are committed to doing quality work. This is one that I often find bosses try to let themselves off the hook for being able to really influence. No dice. As a boss, your job is to build, develop and manage a strong team -- and then to clear obstacles out of their way so that they can do the job you've charged them with. A team that doesn't respect each other is not going to work as effectively or as efficiently as one that does.

This year marks the 20 year anniversary of my career. It has included ups, downs and pivots I never saw coming. But more than anything else, it has led me to a new way of looking at what matters in how I organize my work and my life.

One of the most wonderful things about coming to a new city is also one of the hardest: meeting new people. Finding the right places to connect with the right people can be tough in a new location. And thanks to some help from a few fantastic women I've met here, I'm starting to feel like I'm finding my sea legs. And that actually leads me to this week's topic, #8 on Gallup's Elements of Employee Engagement: The mission/purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.