It "takes a village" to raise engagement
They say “it takes a village to raise a child”... I think the same goes for raising employee engagement. Support from inside and outside of your team are crucial and will make all the difference.
My wife and I recently renovated our Victorian terrace in Sydney. A complex project that needed skilled work and insight from experts. I was amazed (read: exhausted) at the number of different people we had to enlist support from: builder, electrician, carpenter, plasterer, plumber, surveyor, Council (don’t ask), arborist, flooring guy, marble cutter and others. A bit like being on The Block really, but without the prize money!
This got me thinking of the support we need as leaders and how there are sources of unknown or unused power on and off the team, that we can benefit from.
Whilst leaders are accountable for engagement in the team, they need the support and energy of others. Collaborating and connecting with the team, other leaders or functions will yield bigger results. You can’t go it alone.
Leaders trying to raise employee engagement need to access support and think of it as a “power source” to which they can plug-in and help raise engagement. Actually there is a whole grid of powers for leaders to lug-in to that will help them go further faster.
A GRID OF POWER FOR LEADERS TO PLUG-IN TO
YOU Power
YOU are the critical power source that keeps the engagement engine running in your team. Your personal power to engage comes from your thinking, listening, giving and other key senses. These guide how you engage employees with empathy, using targeted communication and the relevant leadership style.
Yamini Naidu in her book Power Play, describes this as Empathy Power that comes when leaders climb into the skin of employees to better understand their world. I have written previously about the importance of leaders using their own Engagement Super-Powers to gain a better connection with employees.
TEAM Power
Collaboration provides power and bigger business results for leaders that involve others.
I believe that front-line teams and employees usually know the organisation and their customers better than their leaders. So, involving employees in idea generation and solutions is very powerful. Using your Team Power, you can engage by:
Action planning: decide how you will deliver together on a goal*
Creating solutions: solve problems and key challenges
Generating ideas: new ways of working.
If you are leading other manager’s then getting together and discussing what works best in your environment is an easy way to share engagement learning.
*Email me at paul@commscoach.org if you want a template that helps you run a super-productive planning session with your team. (Warning: instant engagement and solutions will result!)
NETWORK Power
Beyond your team you will find more power hidden in your network. Within the organisation you should find support from teams designed to help you engage. Communications, HR, IT and others will all have tools, advice and time to help you improve. Ask your “SUPPORT” functions for support.
Ask a Mentor: There are other leaders not far away that have already solved the issues you are struggling with. Reach out and ask for advice. Everyone can learn from someone!
External Support: My experience tells me that most leaders are generous. Your professional networks can be a big source of power. Talk to others in, outside your industry about how they engage. There are countless sources of engagement advice out there: LinkedIn Groups, Professional Bodies, Journals. And most importantly….
PAUL Power…
I can help you engage better too. Here are some instant sources of power for you:
Sign up to my regular update for leaders seeking high engagement
Read my Leaders Guide to high engagement
Book a free phone call for us to solve your engagement challenges.