Employee Engagement-Leadership to Engage Hearts and Minds

A Personal Story

I recall sitting in the cafeteria of a respected manufacturing company one day having an informal chat with an employee by the name of Washington. I wanted some insight into the work climate and attitudes of people and so I asked, “Washington, how productive is the average employee? In other words, how much do they work up to their capability on an average day?” He paused, “Most people put out between 50 and 60%.” “So that means that, if people were truly committed, they could almost double their average daily production?” “Yes,” came back his reply.

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Employee Engagement Statistics

Unfortunately, research supports Washington’s observations. Yankelovich and Immerwahr have reported that only 23% of employees say they work at their full potential. Forty-four percent report that they only work hard enough to keep their jobs. And 75% say they could be significantly more effective in their jobs. And you may be familiar with the Gallup organization which has conducted massive surveys on employee engagement each year since 2000. These surveys tell us that, on average over the last 20 years:

• 30% of employees are engaged (or emotionally invested) in their work.
• 53% of employees are disengaged, meaning that they come to work to collect a paycheck but lack commitment.
• 17% are actively disengaged meaning that they may say and do things that are actually harmful to the business. They often create a toxic environment for other employees.

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Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is the emotional investment employees make in their organizations. It has to do with passion, involvement and commitment they bring to their work. Engaged employees care about their work and they care about their team or organization. They want to do their best and make a difference to their organizations and the customers they serve. And, doesn’t it stand to reason that those companies who have an engaged workforce are going to outperform those who do not? Research shows that companies with a highly engaged workforce have:

• 37% less absenteeism
• Up to 65% lower turnover
• 41% fewer quality problems/complaints
• 10% higher customer ratings
• 21% higher productivity
• 22% higher profitability

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Benefits

The course will enable you to:

• Spend less time fighting fires and more time leading
• Understand the core elements of team success
• Utilize five leadership roles to improve how you manage your team or work group
• Create a climate in which people are more likely to give their best
• Shift your focus from working “in” systems to working “on” systems
• Build a stronger and more effective team
• Use diagnostic questions to assess your team and know how to make them better
• Take a big picture view of your team as you learn to “lead from the balcony”

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Content

So, here’s what we’ll cover in the course. First, I’m going to present a team model to help you better understand the key factors in the success of any team or work group.  These elements are critical to understanding your team and, therefore, critical to your success as a leader. Second, I’m going to teach you the five leadership roles and how these roles relate the key elements of the team model. You’ll become a better leader, supervisor, or manager as you understand and incorporate these roles and practices into your day-to-day behavior. Third, this is the heart of the course. We’ll do a deeper dive into the specific practices of each of the leadership roles. I’ll be giving you a number of tools related to each of the roles that will help you a high performing team and increase employee engagement and commitment. Fourth, I’ll have you do an assessment of yourself, which of the leadership roles you typically use and which you’re most likely to neglect. Finally, you’ll create an improvement plan to become stronger in those roles or practices that you under utilize. The entire purpose is to strengthen you and help you grow as a leader, so you provide better leadership to your team. However, I also need to tell you that this is not abracadabra. There are no magic formulas or quick fixes to engage your work force. Employee engagement is not simply a program or initiative. It isn’t one more thing to put on your plate or add to an already busy schedule. Employee engagement is a paradigm, a way of thinking about people, how work is organized, and the role of leadership. It is how you go about the everyday business of leading your team, staff, or workforce. Click here to enroll.