While a good business book can inspire, clarify, or articulate great ideas to put into practice, a lot of them are painfully boring to read. Even some of the best of the bunch can become repetitive by the end. When a new contact recommended The Dream Manager to me last month, I told her I would read it, but was not super excited by the prospect.
Imagine the surprise when I cracked it open to find a good idea presented as an engaging parable. Author Matthew Kelly makes the case that businesses can increase loyalty and engagement with their employees by taking the time to understand what they are dreaming about, then helping them get there. In the book, there is a position created in the fictional company for a Dream Manager, who leverages his experience in financial planning and his commitment to community involvement to create the role.
That is not a likely outcome in a smaller company. Even if the leadership was on board, having a dedicated dream manager would be too big of an expense. It made me wonder about smaller shifts that could be made, such as creating an accountability group or providing training towards shared goals, that companies COULD invest in to improve employee engagement. What other ideas might work?
