There’s an old Russian saying: “They pretend to pay us, and we pretend to work.” However disparaging, there is truth here. Employee Engagement, as defined by Common Insight, is “the extent to which employees feel passionate about their jobs, are committed to the organization, and put discretionary effort into their work.” The definition is simple, but the road to Employee Engagement can be tough.
Employee Engagement is clearly a major differentiator; a must-have secret sauce that gives organizations that have more of it an advantage over organizations that have less of it. It can give companies the edge in a host of different ways by improving creativity, efficiency, and overall market buzz.
The first question here is not what leadership needs to do to increase Employee Engagement, but what they need to stop doing. Let’s start with the top three.
Stop the Speeches
I am, and most likely your employees are, tired of the platitudes. We have heard it all before. The good news is that most of your employees do care deeply about what you do. They are watching you carefully, as they are hungry for meaningful leadership and an alignment between your daily actions and your company’s values.
In his book “The Simple Art of Greatness: How to Build, Manage and Motivate a Kickass Workforce,” James X. Mullen, Founder of Mullen Advertising, says that leadership should never do anything that they are unwilling to put on the company bulletin board for all to see. Violating the values that you profess to hold dearly for a quick deal here or to save a few dollars there is a bad idea. Such uninspired behavior will expose you as a short-term thinker — a leader who says one thing and does another. To have your people learn that it is ok to adhere to organizational values only when convenient does nothing for employee engagement.
Don’t Micromanage
I once worked for a CEO who told me that his people were unengaged. They did their jobs and went home looking unhappy. I interviewed his team and discovered the problem. I presented my findings to the CEO and suggested he fire his team. He went chalk white and told me they were the best out there. My question was simple: “If your people are so good, why don’t you trust them?”
Let your people do their jobs. Do not micromanage your employees, because, if you hire capable people and don’t let them do their jobs, they will go crazy. Hire the right people, onboard them, assign prioritized goals, and move aside. Failing to do so contributes to a culture that reduces innovation, erodes decision making capabilities, and diminishes your employees’ abilities to take intelligent risks. Want Employee Engagement to rise? Then show people that you trust them by giving them the freedom to get things done in your absence.
Don’t Avoid Firings
Harvey Mackay said it best in his book “How to Swim with the Sharks Without Getting Eaten Alive:” “It is not the people you fire who make your life miserable. It is the people you do not fire who make your life miserable.” Business is a rough-and-tumble sport, where people get hired and fired every day. You know who needs to be fired in your company, and your people know it as well. They live with and see the crippling effects of subpar employees every single day. Do you want to demonstrate leadership and see the benefits of increased employee engagement today?
Fire the folks who need to be fired.
Employee Engagement is fleeting. It is born out of the small, day-to-day examples set by our leaders as they make the decisions that demonstrate their commitment to organizational values and operating principals. It also comes from a demonstrated faith in each employee’s ability to do their job unencumbered by excessive management interference. Still yet, it comes from leaderships’ demonstrated ability to do what is required with employees who are simply not right for their role. The bottom line is that employee engagement is is born out of the belief that leadership has created a company that is truly worthy of their commitment, because Employee Engagement grows in organizations where employees feel a sense of purpose, empowerment, and shared mission.
