First things first: we at eQ want to thank every one of you reading this message. We are continually grateful for the knowledge and experiences gained through our work together. It is an honor to know you, and it has been an absolute privilege working alongside you this past year.
As the sun sets on 2011, we can’t help but reflect on what an amazing year it has been. 2011 was entreQuest’s best year yet, not only because of company growth, but also because of all the marvelous things we learned through working with our clients and partners. Today, we want to share one of those things with you – a new trend in our data that is sure to help you kick off 2012 with a mindset for growth.
You know that the eQ philosophy has always centered on the idea that in order to grow regardless; an organization must first change from within. And now, through recent survey data, we have not only identified the various components necessary to create that change, but also isolated the five internal factors that we believe are critical to a company’s growth and success over time.
Check out this raw data from five of our recent client assessments:
Performance Reviews
- 25 of 555 (4.5%) survey participants reported that they did not have a performance review at all.
- Of the remaining 530 participants:
- The majority (77.92%) felt that their
performance reviews were very helpful (41.13%) or somewhat helpful (36.79%). - Only 3.77% of these participants felt their performance reviews were either very harmful (1.70%) or somewhat harmful (2.08%).
- 18.30% stated that the reviews were neither harmful nor helpful.
IN A NUTSHELL: The vast majority of employees surveyed think performance reviews – when done correctly and consistently – help them in their work.
Team Meetings
- When asked if team meetings were productive and worthwhile, 82.60% of survey participants responded affirmatively by selecting
strongly agree (17.07%), agree (39.84%), or somewhat agree (25.69%). - 17.40% rated their team meetings negatively: strongly disagree (5.53%), disagree (4.07%), or somewhat disagree (7.80%).
IN A NUTSHELL: A majority of employees surveyed think that team meetings – when conducted correctly and consistently – help them be more productive.
Goal Setting
- 24 of 562 (4.27%) survey responders stated that they did not have goals and 16 (2.85%) said they had goals, but didn’t know what they were.
- Of the remaining 522 participants:
- An overwhelming 73.37% felt as though their goals were realistic and attainable.
- 25.29% responded that their goals were either difficult to reach (24.14%) or impossible to reach (1.15%).
- 1.34% responded that their goals were too easy.
IN A NUTSHELL: The vast majority of employees surveyed had goals that they felt were attainable.
Goal Accountability
- Of the 456 survey participants to respond when asked if they are held accountable for their goals by a supervisor, the overwhelming majority (94.74%) responded with strongly agree (4.39%), agree (87.72%), or somewhat agree (2.63%).
- The remaining 5.26% of the responses were strongly disagree (4.82%) or somewhat disagree (0.44%) with zero participants selecting disagree.
IN A NUTSHELL: More than nine in ten respondents said accountability was part of their company culture.
Value Within an Organization
- The majority (85.93%) of survey responders stated that they feel like a valued member of their organization by responding strongly agree (23.79%), agree (42.38%), or somewhat agree (19.77%) to this question.
- 14.07% disagreed on this question with 6.53% responding with somewhat disagree, 4.52% for strongly disagree and 3.02% responding with disagree.
IN A NUTSHELL: The majority of those surveyed feel that they are important to their organization.
We’re not the only ones noticing these trends either. In a recent article for Forbes online, Eric Jackson lists poor annual performance reviews and lack of accountability among his Top Ten Reasons Why Large Companies Fail To Keep Their Best Talent. Like, Jackson, we at entreQuest believe that that the best employees are those that feel part of something bigger than themselves, something meaningful, and something they believe in passionately.
Do these results surprise you? Perhaps you’ve always thought that performance reviews, team meetings, goal setting and accountability were the kinds of things that make employees cringe. It’s true; when done incorrectly or with a negative mindset, those activities CAN destroy morale and stunt a company’s growth. A recent study of 2,141 working Americans conducted by Harris Interactive found that only 37 percent of those surveyed felt they were given useful feedback from their manager during an annual performance review. Additionally, the same survey also revealed that 50 percent of the participants who responded that they had recieved positive performance reviews felt more valued by the company because their performance review focused on helping them succeed in their role. Similarly, the same report found that only 32 percent of working Americans feel that their performance goals are aligned with their company’s business objectives; and only 20 percent have even established career goals with their manager.
But eQ’s client assessments clearly illustrate how employees, when offered regular guidance and accountability through efficient, consistent performance reviews, team meetings, and goal setting, are more likely to feel valued. As a result, these employees will go on to create positive experiences for their organizations’ clients; perpetuating company-wide growth and success.
Your organization can grow and succeed in 2012, too. The eQ team stands ready to assess your current situation and help you implement
proven solutions that spur growth regardless of your size, your industry, or the economy. The eQ Assessment isn’t just for new clients. Many of our longstanding clients and partners undergo an annual company-wide assessment to ensure that all aspects of their organizations are functioning at an optimal level, and if they are not, we work together to improve conditions, building a stronger, more successful business.
Is your organization ready to jumpstart growth and kick off 2012 with an eQ Assessment? Contact us today!
Joe Mechlinski is the President of entreQuest and has partnered with countless leaders to effectively improve their team’s performance, their clients’ experience, and their company’s profits.
