4 Keys to Drive Engagement In Your Team

Do you ever feel that you have a lack of engagement from your team members?

Is it realistic to have 100% of your organization be engaged? Depends; what does engagement mean to you? Does engagement mean they are: showing up on time, completing their tasks, producing results, contributing to their team, love their work, see the impact they're making? Driving engagement in the workplace has become increasingly more challenging over the past several years with the shift to remote and hybrid work environments. Does this mean there is no hope? Not quite. It could mean that what you've done in the past is not going to get you the same results as it will today. What are the Drivers? There is not one single contribution to employee engagement (if there was it would not be nearly as big of a hot topic and this article would be much shorter!). Extensive research has been conducted to determine the factors that influence employee engagement levels (by people much smarter than me). The research has indicated that there are multiple drivers that impact engagement, and we are just going to highlight a few key ones. The research company behind the "Best Places to Work" (Quantum Workplace) identified six drivers of engagement that have the greatest impact on employees.

1. The leaders of their organization are committed to making it a great place to work

2. Trust that the leaders of the organization are setting the right course

3. Belief that the organization will be successful in the future

4. Understanding of how "I" fit into the organization's future plans

5. The leaders of the organization value people as their most important resource

6. The organization makes investments to make employees more successful

These cannot be something that employees get once or twice a year during a performance review. In order to leverage these to DRIVE engagement, they need to be experienced regularly. What Can You Do Today? The list of what can be done to drive engagement is extensive. If you are not doing the following, this will be a great place for you to start to get the most bang for buck.

1. Share Organization's Vision - Providing clarity and talking openly about where you are going will help bring your employees along for the ride. Talk regularily about why your organizations exists, what you value and is important to you, what you are focusing on to grow and the direction that you are heading.

2. Develop Missions at Functional Level - Get each function of your business (sales, marketing, operations, support, etc.) on the same page to create better focus. Create a simple mission for each of these functions that states what you do and who you do it for. This will provide clarity for each team member about how they individually and collectively contribute to the organization as a whole and make an impact.

3. Provide Ownership - Want higher engagement? Don't micromanage. Start by clarifying what they are accountable for and what success looks like. Then, let them own it. This is not saying give them a job description and send them off on their own, it means collaborating and defining what the expectations are and what they need to be doing to be successful.

4. Give Feedback - Are they fulfilled? Are they challenged? Are they being stretched too thin? Regular connections (weekly/bi-weekly depending on tenure) provide opportunities to monitor progress. This allows for each team member to know what they are doing well, where they need to focus, and for them to bring forward what is getting in their way. This is a two-way conversation that helps drive autonomy and fulfillment.

These are all simple activities that you can start doing today to drive engagement throughout your company and team. Now What? If you are not already doing the activities in the "What Can You Do Today" section, start there. Begin with sharing you vision before moving down the list. Lastly, remember that people support what they help create. Bring them along for the ride. If you would like to learn more about how you can setup your company and team for success, shoot me an email at scott@scottgullickson.com or grab some time on my calendar.