What Wonder Woman can teach us about employee engagement

It might seem like Wonder Woman doesn’t have much to do with employee engagement. After all, the beloved icon uses bullet proof bracelets, the lasso of truth and super human strength to protect humanity (and rack up box office gold) while companies focus on employee engagement to improve productivity, reduce turnover and enhance results. However, given that Wonder Woman’s compassion, courage and commitment to doing what’s right ultimately saves the day, organizations can learn a lot from our superheroine about engaging their workforce. Lessons include:

1.      Operate with clarity and purpose – Okay movie fans, if you haven’t seen the film yet, spoilers are ahead.  In this inspiring flick, Wonder Woman is clear her mission is to protect innocent people and stop Ares, the God of War, from destroying humanity. That’s something we can all rally around, right? Companies that have that kind of clarity about their mission, vision and values connect better with employees and generate stronger results. In fact, a Gallup Survey found that a 10% improvement in employees’ connection with the mission or purpose of their organization would result in a 12.7% reduction in safety incidents, an 8.1% decrease in turnover, and a 4.4% increase in profitability.

2.      Build strong teams – Despite her strength and smarts, Wonder Woman couldn’t have prevailed without the support of the rag tag team brought together to infiltrate enemy territory. (Plus there’s her future affiliation with the Justice League, where Batman, Superman and their brethren all work together for the greater good.) Super star employees are great, but super star teams are even better.  Investing in training, leadership development and succession planning to help people reach their potential – something which ADP reports only a third of U.S. employees give their companies high marks in those areas – is a win-win situation.

3.      Embrace ethics – Wonder Woman had the choice of ruling as an all-powerful being with the villain, or staying true to herself but battling it out. She picked the second option, finding the inner strength and ethical fortitude to prevail. Companies that choose the ethical path, even when it can impact short-term profits, connect deeper with employees. For example, corporations like AFLAC, Accenture and Marriott International were recognized as one of the world’s most ethical companies which no doubt influenced their inclusion on Fortune’s 100 Best Places to Work list.

4.      Care about others – Her deep concern for others prompted Wonder Woman to plunge onto a battlefield to free a French town occupied by German soldiers during World War I. Companies that genuinely care about the communities and people they serve inspire greater employee loyalty. Many organizations are placing an increasingly higher value on corporate social responsibility. Our community outreach effort at National DCP focuses on health and wellness, hunger relief and sustainability issues and we’ve been rolling out an employee volunteer time-off program. Some employees view corporate social responsibility as a key factor in choosing where they work; Horizon Media estimates that 81% of millennials expect companies to publicly pledge to be good corporate citizens.

As a kid, Wonder Woman was my favorite superhero/superheroine. (Though she had some hefty competition from my close namesake – She-Ra, kick-butt cartoon goddess extraordinaire – in the 1980’s). In addition to being a positive role model and empowered character, it is gratifying to see how her behaviors can inspire better corporate cultures and employee engagement too.

How does your organization engage employees? Who is your favorite superhero or superheroine and how has that impacted who you are today?

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