Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce recently announced his retirement from the U.S. National Football League (NFL). The future Hall of Famer won the Super Bowl in 2018 and spent all 13 of his years in the NFL with one franchise – a spectacular and rare event for any player.
Kelce’s 45-minute retirement speech was full of memories, gratitude for his family, the fans, and the city of Philadelphia, and a lot of emotions and tears. Why tears? Because lingering injuries were driving him away from something he loved – the game of football, the camaraderie he had with his teammates, and getting recognized for doing a good job.
As I watched the live press conference, it occurred to me that in the business world, most people don’t cry when they retire. They do cartwheels. They have a big party and celebrate. They go on vacation and are eternally thankful that they are not tethered to a PC. They swear they will never go back.
Why? Because, unlike Jason Kelce, many people who retire from the business world are disengaged. They cannot wait to hang up their cleats because they don’t love the dysfunction in business, the camaraderie with teammates can be fleeting when everyone is gunning for a few ‘high performer’ ratings, and getting recognized for a job well done can be rare.
What Can I Do? Commit to building a culture that causes people to cry sad tears when they retire. This means building a culture that meets the needs of your employees and inspires people to be the best version of themselves every day. If you need help, I’m here for you. Simply reach out and I can educate your managers on what employees want in the workplace, and the simple things they can do to catapult employee engagement. Then watch your business soar.
The post Will Your Employees Cry Like Jason Kelce When They Retire? appeared first on Jill Christensen International - Employee Engagement Expert.