A good friend drew my attention to a piece in the Wall Street Journal about the CEO emerging from hiding in an attempt to engage staff. The piece starts by saying: 

"As the economy recovers, employees are more likely to see a new presence in the office—their chief executive. 

Chiefs who spent last year battling the recession are coming out of their foxholes to talk more with staffers. It’s an effort to boost morale, solicit ideas and better understand employee concerns. Some hope to stave off defections ahead of a job-market recovery." 

I can’t help but feel this is too little, too late. Surely part of battling the recession involves engaging with staff, walking the floor talking and listening through all times. Good, bad and indifferent? What do you think? And how about other members of management, what have they been telling the CEO in the meantime which has maybe convinced her to stay away from the frontline for so long?

We’ll be discussing this and other current engagement issues in London next week at Engaging for Growth. We’ve had a great response and there are now just a few seats left. Drop me a line if you’re interested in attending. http://www.engagingforgrowth.com 

Here’s the link to the full article. http://bit.ly/9BbVYQ