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Core Fit Conversations Transform Employee Engagement

Core Fit Conversations Transform Employee Engagement

Picture this: You call an employee into your office, and their face drops, expecting criticism or a conversation about hours being cut. What if, instead, they leave the meeting feeling valued, inspired, and clear about how they can contribute to the company’s success?

That’s the power of Core Fit Conversations – a proactive approach to building trust, fostering loyalty, and aligning your team with your company’s vision.

For blue collar business leaders, where teams often operate in high-stakes, fast-paced environments, employee engagement strategies can be the difference between thriving and struggling. Let’s dive into how Core Fit Conversations can help you build a culture where your team feels like a winning crew, not just workers on a payroll.

What Is a Core Fit Conversation?

Core Fit Conversations are not traditional performance reviews. Forget about checklists, annual critiques, or discussions limited to raises. These conversations focus on building a relationship with your team, emphasizing their value, and aligning efforts toward mutual success.

Instead of zeroing in on shortcomings, Core Fit Conversations focus on three key areas:

  1. Do they fit your core?
    This includes alignment with your company’s Core Values, vision, and purpose. You should know this before you hire them. Spend time talking about your Core Values and how you see the employee continuing to align to these in their role.
  2. Do they understand the job?
    Employees need to fully grasp their role and your expectations, from processes to goals. Refer to your role package and job description to support this conversation.
  3. Do they know how to win?
    Winning isn’t just hitting metrics; it’s about problem-solving, adapting, and creating solutions independently.

When these elements are addressed, you empower your team and create clarity. This drives employee engagement and retention.

The Problem with Traditional Performance Reviews

For many companies, traditional performance reviews create unnecessary tension. In fact, Deloitte found the 58% of HR Executives believe traditional reviews are a waste of time. Employees brace for criticism, managers dread awkward conversations, and the result is often surface-level feedback with no lasting impact.

The real issue lies deeper:

  • Employees don’t understand how their work contributes to the company’s bigger picture.
  • There’s a lack of clarity about expectations and processes.
  • Core Values are treated as wall art, not guiding principles.

This is where Core Fit Conversations shine. Instead of critiquing the past, they focus on how to improve and win in the future.

3 Ways Core Fit Conversations Improve Employee Engagement Strategies

1. Reinforce Core Values to Build Trust

Your Core Values define your culture. They’re not just buzzwords – they’re the foundation of your company. During a Core Fit Conversation, take the time to highlight how an employee’s actions reflect these values.

Example: At a construction company, a foreman displayed the company’s Core Value of “ownership” by taking the initiative to redesign a site plan that saved hours of labor. Acknowledging this during a Core Fit Conversation reinforced their role as a leader.

When people see their efforts tied to something greater, employee engagement skyrockets.

2. Provide Clarity on Expectations

A common reason employees underperform isn’t laziness or insubordination – it’s a lack of clarity. Does your team understand your processes? Are job descriptions clear and actionable? Do they have the tools and training they need to succeed?

If someone isn’t “putting points on the board,” the problem often lies in vague or non-existent processes. Fixing this during a Core Fit Conversation can be a game-changer.

Example: A manufacturing business faced bottlenecks because machine operators didn’t know the full sequence of steps for quality checks. After identifying this during a Core Fit Conversation, the company revised its training process, reducing defects by 20% and greatly improving morale.

3. Shift the Focus to Winning

Winning looks different for every business. For some, it’s completing a project under budget; for others, it’s hitting a safety record. Do your employees know what winning looks like?

Use Core Fit Conversations to:

  • Celebrate wins, no matter how small.
  • Clarify what success means in their role.
  • Teach them to solve problems independently.

Example: A landscaping company equipped its team leads with problem-solving frameworks, so they didn’t need to rely on the owner for every decision. This autonomy boosted morale and efficiency. It freed up the owner’s time to focus on visionary work and scale the company faster.

How to Get Started with Core Fit Conversations

  1. Prepare by Reviewing Your Core Values
    Before you sit down, make sure your values, vision, and expectations are clear. This sets the tone for the conversation.
  2. Create a Safe Space
    Emphasize that this isn’t about critique or pay – it’s about aligning goals and creating clarity for the next quarter.
  3. Use Specific Examples
    Tie their actions to company values and outcomes to make the conversation actionable and meaningful.
  4. Set Actionable Goals
    Build employee engagement by focusing on what they can do to contribute to the next win.

The Payoff: Stronger Teams, Better Results

When done right, Core Fit Conversations transform the way your team engages with their work. They’ll feel valued, understand their role, and be motivated to succeed. This simple shift leads to higher retention, increased productivity, and a culture where employees thrive.

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