Employee Engagement Starts with Leaders!

What is employee engagement? A number of studies and other literature related to employee engagement shows similar definitions for employee engagement: commitment to the organization; job ownership and pride; passion and excitement; and commitment to execution and the bottom line.

We now all know why companies want engaged employees – engaged employees are those who work longer hours, try harder, accomplish more and speak positively about their organizations. Engagement is an amalgamation of commitment, loyalty, productivity and ownership. It’s also a critical element of competitive advantage for most organizations. We all know employee engagement is important, but where should you start? According to most experts, the most influential factor is leadership. That’s right – it starts at the top! Leaders are the lens through which employees view your organization. In fact, how they feel about their direct manager is directly correlated to how they feel about their jobs and the organization as a whole. So what can Leader’s do to drive employee engagement?

• Walk-the-walk – Leader’s must live the values of the company every day. Employee engagement is created when Leaders consistently demonstrate what is expected of them – all of the time.
• Do what you say you will do – Leader’s must follow through on what they have said they will do or they need to provide employees with valid and rationale reasons as to why the direction has changed. Companies that consistently “do what they say they will go” will build trust and commitment.
• Have a passion to lead – Leader’s must be passionate about their job and their leadership position. According to one recent study, slightly less than one in two senior Leaders, and only 17 percent of front-line Leaders are themselves highly engaged. Can disengaged Leaders inspire passion and commitment in others? It’s highly unlikely.
• Articulate the vision – Leader’s must be able to articulate the company’s vision with consistency and enthusiasm. Why? Employees need to understand the overall strategic direction of the company and how their role and their work relate to achieving the vision. If employees understand where the company is going and how they contribute they will become engaged.
• Promote accountability – Leader’s must be able to articulate what is expected of their employees and hold them accountable to those expectations.
• Listen and act – employees want to feel that their ideas are listened to and acted upon. Leader’s must consistently demonstrate that they are not only listening, but are acting on employees ideas and suggestions in order to create engaged and committed employees.
• Develop talent – employees want opportunities to grow and develop. Leaders must ensure that they understand what each of their employees want and help them to achieve their goals and aspirations. Engagement research results are clear on this issue: 45 percent of employees cite limited opportunities for growth as the reason they left their company.
• Have a heart – sound ridiculous? More and more employees want to work for companies and for Leader’s that care about them and their individual goals and aspirations. According to the WarrenShepell – only 45% of employees perceive their supervisors as caring and considerate of their well-being! Imagine only 45%....
• Celebrate and reward – Leaders who create highly engaged and committed employees celebrate and reward employees who consistently contribute to the organization.

In our opinion, companies have the most difficulty Leader’s – “walking the walk”; “doing what they say they will do”; and “having a heart”. Unfortunately, these are all factors that promote trust – trust in the Leader and trust in the company. According to WarrenShepell – only 37% of employees actually trust senior management.

At the Employee Factor, we believe that companies need to spend more time helping their Leader’s be authentic, consistent and real.

What do you think?