Employee Engagement: How Your Enterprise Can Thrive
I remember it like it was yesterday, how loyal my team was.
They showed up to work again (thank God) — some days I’m sure of it — simply because I was their leader, and I’d let them know, in no unclear terms, that I couldn’t do it without them.
We were going through a corporate merger which was pretty brutal, for a lot of reasons. That my people stuck with me through thick and thin, was, at times, frankly, hard to comprehend.
During these trying times, the biggest lever I had at my command was the engagement of my people.
Are Your People Engaged?
Employee engagement is the name of the game these days.
Companies and brands, all now entrenched in the digital age, realize that the only way forward is by engaging their employees.
But what is engagement, really?
In its most simple form, engagement means a sense-of-ownership.
In its most simple form, engagement means a sense-of-ownership.
This is so powerful because, a sense-of-ownership activates much deeper emotional ties than, say, “job satisfaction.”
When employees feel a sense-of-ownership in the enterprise, they have a vested interest in things running smoothly, even outside of their department and role.
Engaged employees aren’t likely to walk past a piece of trash on the floor without picking it up. This simple example can as easily be a metaphor for a larger reality.
The “piece of trash” they’re not willing to “walk past” can take innumerable forms, big and small, critical and mundane — at every level of the enterprise.
Whatever the case, engaged employees are quick to respond to needs that fall outside of their role.
In fact, what you rarely hear from employees who have a sense-of-ownership in the enterprise is, “that’s not my job.”
So, how do you engage your people?
To engage my team members had been my plan from the very beginning, even before the corporate-merger-from-heck.
To do so, I would foster in each individual a sense-of-ownership in our enterprise, and in their own careers, by consistently…
- assuring them that their hard work and dedication were needed and appreciated,
- encouraging them to use their talents to succeed in the best way possible,
- providing them the tools, training, and resources they needed,
- trusting and empowering them to develop and execute strategies and tactics according to their roles, and
- making available opportunities for their professional growth and development
Out of the commitments above (mine-to-them) came any and all the successes we achieved. There were failures, too, of course. Personal and collective. But, more so, lots of successes.
There were also systems and processes that needed improvement, obviously. Logistical implementations and alterations of every imaginable scope. A ton of work to do, actually.
But I was crystal clear. My most important task would be to engage my people.
But I was crystal clear. My most important task would be to engage my people.
And do you know what? It worked.
Appreciation and trust
Engagement flourishes in environments where team members feel appreciated and trusted.
In an engaged enterprise, employees understand how their contributions, and their points-of-view, are vital to the success of the entire organization.
But just how, and why, do they understand this?
They understand because their managers and supervisors tell them so. Engaging leaders share words of appreciation and admiration, early and often.
We all want positive reinforcement. We all want to be told we’re doing a great job. We all want to hear that the enterprise wouldn’t be the same without us.
So, if these things are true about your employees, tell them!
I’m not suggesting you praise subpar performance. But if you have employees who fit the bill (and you should; otherwise, you’ve got an even bigger problem), you need to let them know as much.
Tell your team members how much you value their efforts. Tell them what they mean to you. Tell them how you would feel if they weren’t part of your team. Tell them privately, and tell them publicly.
Engagement is emotional
There are many ways, emotionally, to make employees feel appreciated.
- Asking for, and accepting feedback
- Providing team members opportunities for growth and development
- Allowing team members to make autonomous decisions
- Trusting them to exercise authority
- Giving genuine praise publicly and privately
- Expressing genuine gratitude publicly and privately
Entire books can be written on crafting a culture of excellence, of performance, and so on.
There are a thousand tactics but really only one strategy.
Genuinely trust and appreciate your team members in such a way that they know it in their bones. Meet their emotional needs, whatever they may be.
Some team members won’t want a thing to do with more authority or additional responsibility, or growing or developing. Yet, they’ll flower, and become incredibly loyal, in the face of genuine thanks and praise.
For others, actions will speak louder. They may not need to hear how valuable you think they are, but their solidarity will be secured when you allow them to make their own decisions. To develop their own plans, and to live or die by their own results.
Trust, like genuine appreciation, is an incredible catalyst for engagement.
Engagement is an investment in the future
Creating (or reversing) a culture is not an overnight process. In my experience, it always takes longer that you think it will. Capturing the hearts and minds of your people isn’t something you can force or “hack.”
Engagement takes time.
And, its one of the best investments you can make in your future success, your employees’ future success, and your organization’s future success.
Want to hear more?
I quit my 21-year career to travel the world with my family. We’re documenting our journey at www.slowviking.com.
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