Role of Leaders - Engagement

The best part of my job is working with clients on some of their most difficult challenges.

Last week, we dove deep into the topic of engagement. I often see companies make a critical mistake around engagement - It's left to the grass roots employee councils and motivated employees that want to make work fun, to bring people together, to create connections. Don't get me wrong, these efforts are a critical part of an engaging employee experience. But too many senior leadership teams outsource the responsibility for real engagement.

Real engagement happens when employees have (1) Agency, (2) Belonging, and (3) Impact.

Employees have Agency when they have a true opportunity to be stewards of their careers. This doesn't mean there are no guardrails. It means that employees believe, and are able, to pursue what interests them.

Employees feel Belonging through a deep sense of connection to their immediate team. Most of our experience is dictated by the 20-25 people that we interact with every day. Feeling connected and accountable to those we work with is an essential element of engagement.

Engagement increases when employees understand and see the Impact of their work. I'm not talking about earnings-per-share (EPS) or net promoter score (NPS). Yes, those are important strategic metrics to positively affect. But people don't get out of bed and work 12-hour days for some far off metric. They do it because they see how the actions they take make a difference.

To create these conditions, look no further than your frontline leaders. They are the ones that hear employee hopes and aspirations that lead to Agency. The ones that direct teams which create Belonging. The ones that bring strategy to life through your operating model so employees understand Impact.

Are your frontline leaders ready?