The Secret Sauce to Employee Engagement

Employee Engagement - Big Chicken

In case you have not heard, #Shaq has many nicknames, including #Big Shamrock, #Diesel, #ShaqDaddy, #Superman, #TheBigAristotle, #shaquille #shaquilleoneal #shaq, and so on. He is also the CEO of at least 50 well-known brands. One of them close to his heart and stomach is his franchise called "BIG Chicken."

I was fortunate to be a guest for one day at the recent Big Chicken franchise conference at Beer Park in Las Vegas, NV.

This opportunity allowed me to taste some of the great food offered at Shaq's Big Chicken. The food was excellent and represented Shaq's home-cooked favorite foods and sauces. One of the day's highlights was meeting Shaq and hearing him spell out the secret of his success.?

As I sat intensely watching the CEO, Josh Halpern engage Shaq with questions about the Big Chicken venture, I listened keenly to what he described are the primary keys to his business and personal success.?

Question: Shaq, what are the keys to your success??

Shaq's Answer: Have Fun! Life is about having fun! Smile; use your endorphins to laugh and have fun.

Shaq clarified that he was lucky to have an easy job at a young age, playing basketball; as he got older, he understood that the goal is to enjoy life and have fun in everything you do. This mantra has served him well; no matter what he is involved in, Shaq makes it fun! He recommends that you keep the engagement high, laugh, put a smile on your face, and enjoy whatever you choose to do.?

Many articles have been written about increasing employee morale and building employee engagement in the workforce. The benefits are relational and make sense if you want to increase profit and productivity.

However, we rarely hear the concept of simply creating an environment where your employees will enjoy working in and have fun. The pandemic exposed the weakness in the workforce with the shift from the office to remote; employers lost the opportunity to stay engaged, for example, weekly happy hours, team building exercises, ping pong, or whatever it was that could lighten the mood in the office, disappeared. Employee stress, burnout, resignations, and attrition began to increase due to the lack of fun and the ability to escape work pressures. Employees working at home without the ability to take a vacation created significant challenges and problems with engagement.

So what is the secret sauce to building a productive and engaged workforce? The answer is simple, Fun!?

If your employees are having fun, they won't leave you; they will stay engaged and work harder because it won't be work; it will be fun.?

Hey Shaq, I have another nickname for you "Big Fun."?