Have you ever been on a long-haul flight and wondered if the plane is being flown by autopilot?
Does it bother you that your fate could be in the hands of a computer program, or are you (like me) somehow comforted by it?
When you go to work tomorrow, take a look at the faces of your colleagues - or better yet- ask them outright: 'are you on autopilot?'.
The idea here of course is to determine if your colleague truly has an understanding of her role in the company, and her contribution to the success of the firm.
I'd bet there's a better than 60/40 chance that the response will refer to 'just keeping up', or 'handling the volume of work'...a couple of hints that maybe things might be drifting a little, and that the link between goal achievement and corporate objectives might be graying.
Net:
Autopilot is fine for an aircraft...it can be a signal of stagnation (or worse) for a workplace, and an opportunity for managers to call an impromptu huddle, and realign priorities, and clarify roles (particularly in relation to customers, sales, and rewards).
Recognize Autopilot through ad hoc conversations, engagement surveys, and customer satisfaction surveys, and stats like lead generation activity.
JS
