A wise leader knows how crucial it is to cultivate a culture of engaged employees in the workplace.
In a New York Daily News article, it was reported that nearly 70% of U.S. employees were miserable at work with the majority of Americans either disliking their jobs entirely or feeling disengaged and uninvolved with everything from their colleagues to their immediate supervisor.
Business coaches have recognized that this disturbing statistic proves that leaders are having a difficult time finding ways to stimulate engagement in their employees. Employees wanted to feel valued and challenged while also being given the freedom and learn within their job.
What can employers do to continuously create new opportunities for their people to keep them motivated and invested in the success of the company?
Modesty
The problem is that many newly appointed managers are so focused on trying to prove their worth that they end up ignoring their subordinates. And when they start to feel too superior, they stop listening to others and assume that they know all.
How can a company grow if the leader cannot put their own ego aside? You’ll never know what your employees are capable of if you continue to micromanage and never empower your employees to discover their full potentials.
A leader that is competent and confident is one that isn’t afraid to encourage their employees to speak up so that others may benefit and learn from their experiences.
Active Listening
It’s one thing to be a good listener, but it is another thing to get your employees to recognize it. Some supervisors may think that it is enough to nod along and maintain eye contact. However, it is pretty evident when you are not truly paying attention, and your eye contact starts to look blank and empty.
Your employees will tune into everything from what you say, how you say it, your body language, and facial expressions. They will notice if you are distracted and uninterested by how often you look passed them, check your watch, or take out your phone.
Give Everyone a Voice
Companies come in all sizes and shapes. And when we say shapes, we mean the traditional triangle where there is always someone sitting at the top of the hierarchy.
However, more and more companies are recognizing the value of flattening out their structures to create strong company cultures that cultivated engaged employees who were encouraged to disagree and offer their opinions.
This is not to say that there is no longer a corporate structure in place but a new unconventional form of management that promotes all employees at all levels to speak freely.
Patient Problem-Solving
While it is natural for companies to encourage their employees to have a sense of urgency, it is always much better to arrive at the right decision later on than it is to settle for a flawed solution immediately.
While employees can often be the source the problem, they need to be empowered to also believe that they can be problem solvers who can help find solutions to not just the problems that they may have created but for the barriers that the company as a whole encounters.
How you behave as a manager can strengthen or destroy your team’s level of engagement and motivation. When you invite them into problem-solving processes and allow them to contribute their insight to find solutions and improvements, they feel invested in the outcome. In this way, employees feel valued and integral to the success of the organization.
If you found value in this blog and If you have time, let’s jump on a call to brainstorm some strategic leadership concepts you may be unfamiliar with…I think you might be pleasantly surprised! Then, without obligation, we can consider if working together would be beneficial.
If that sounds good, you can use this link to schedule a time convenient to you for us to chat: https://meetme.so/GregNichvalodoff I look forward to furthering our connection and learning more about you and your business.
