Engagement Ground Zero Let them OWN IT! Laura Lee Langley
What s the big deal? Why is engagement so important? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4nwoz02ajm
The facts Me Get Me Head Wants to leave Policies and procedures Follows the rules Gets the job done We Give Us Heart Wants to be involved Create and innovate Discretionary effort Goes above and beyond
Recipes for Engagement The Leadership Challenge Kouzes and Posner s 5 Exemplary Practices of Leadership Face to Face Communication Roger D Aprix s cycle of leading for engagement Emotional Intelligence Daniel Goleman s theories on engaging workers The Fifth Discipline Peter Senge on creating an environment for personal mastery by leveraging the system
Common factors Shared values Trust Creating a space for employees to have voice Recognition Communication Clarity, Feedback 2-way Performance management and career development Nurturing a safe to fail environment
Engagement WE KNOW THE DRIVERS OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Engagement WE KNOW THE DRIVERS OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT WHAT WE DON T ALWAYS KNOW IS HOW TO MAKE THESE THINGS HAPPEN!
Start from Ground Zero Consider the soup you are in Understand the sub cultures and value webs that define them Connect the dots through shared values Create an environment where people can soar Encourage people to challenge Make it safe for people to fail Invite diverse voices and experiences to the table Expect excellence
The soup We exist in social systems Families Communities Schools Teams Workplaces Groups and Clubs
And we LEAD in social systems That means there is dynamic complexity Everything everybody does has an affect on everything everybody does Everybody involved has a role and everybody involved has an interest People take their places in the system according to how those dynamics work It is always changing SO PAY ATTENTION!
What does that mean? The leader, above all others, needs to have a view of the system. You need to see all the moving parts and how they fit together You should know where you fit in that dynamic You need to understand where others are in that dynamic You want to have an understanding of the needs of everybody in that dynamic Get the view from the balcony
What is the view like? Top = Power Middle = Pressure Bottom = Powerless Barry Oshry (2013)
What is the view like? Top = Empowers Middle = Provides thruways Bottom = Empowered Barry Oshry (2013)
What is motivating action? What lenses are people looking through? Human Resource Frame Political Frame Symbolic Frame Structural Frame If we want to understand where to begin as a leader we must consider the social system we re in. Bolman & Deal, 2011.
What does this have to do with engagement? Leaders who understand the systems they are in will know how to find the leverage points for engagement.
Finding the leverage points Shared values are a fundamental building block for engagement What about an organization where there are various divisions concerned with different things accounting vs. sales Look for organizational sub cultures Have them articulate their values Celebrate them Look for the common ground Create value webs
Let them OWN IT! If people are permitted to be who they are they are more inclined to trust their leader Create a safe space for diverse interests, diverse voices, and healthy debate Accept challenges questions and risks Let people be vulnerable and be vulnerable yourself (it is the very basis of trust) Admit your mistakes Let others LEAD
Leader Actions Hay s study of employee satisfaction: Trust and confidence in top leadership was the single most reliable predictor of employee satisfaction in an organization
Leader Actions Effective communication by leaders in three critical areas was the key to winning organizational trust and confidence: Helping employees understand overall business strategy. Helping employees understand how they contribute to achieving business goals. Sharing information with employees on how they are doing hitting professional and organizational objectives.
Communication Skills Model 1 Job Responsibilities What s my job?
Communication Skills Model 1 Job Responsibilities What s my job? How am I doing? 2 Performance Feedback
Communication Skills Model 1 Job Responsibilities What s my job? Does anyone care? How am I doing? 2 Performance Feedback 3 Individual Needs
Communication Skills Model 1 Job Responsibilities What s my job? How am I doing? 2 Performance Feedback How are we doing? Does anyone care? Department Objectives, Results 4 3 Individual Needs
Communication Skills Model 1 Job Responsibilities How can I help? What s my job? Vision, Mission and Strategy 5 What are our vision, mission and values? How am I doing? 2 Performance Feedback How are we doing? Does anyone care? Department Objectives, Results 4 3 Individual Needs
Communication Skills Model Engagement 6 1 Job Responsibilities How can I help? What s my job? Vision, Mission and Strategy 5 What are our vision, mission and values? How am I doing? 2 Performance Feedback How are we doing? Does anyone care? Department Objectives, Results 4 3 Individual Needs
Leader Actions The primary influencer of engagement is the immediate manager, supervisor or team leader. Communicating with employees is one of the most important things you do as a leader. How much time do you spend doing this in a practiced, focused way?
The Leadership Challenge A field guide for leaders asks: How do you inspire others to be intrinsically motivated to contribute to your organization going above and beyond so that the vision might be realized?.in the best organizations, everyone, regardless of title or position, is encouraged to act like a leader? They are encouraged to OWN IT.
The Leadership Challenge Model the Way Titles don t make you a leader, it is how you behave that makes a difference. Know yourself Know your own values Be authentic Find your own voice Own who you are Align your actions with your words Lead by example not by command
The Leadership Challenge Inspire a Shared Vision The dream or the vision is the force that creates the future. Imagine the exciting possibilities and share them Enlist others by lighting their passion Provide a path to enable the vision to become reality Allow others to steer sometimes
The Leadership Challenge Challenge the Process Challenge is the crucible for greatness. The status quo will get you the status quo. No one gets better by keeping things the same Leaders venture out Innovation comes from listening, not telling Experiment Make mistakes Be a learner
The Leadership Challenge Enable Others to Act Great dreams don t happen through the actions of one person. Empower those around you Be open to all ideas and give diverse voices a stake in the decision making process Foster collaboration by building trust and bridging relationships Develop competence in others Build a team of leaders
The Leadership Challenge Encourage the Heart People become tired, frustrated and disenchanted. When they are tempted to give up, acts of caring will re-ignite their fire. Show appreciation for your team Recognize great efforts Celebrate successes CARE Statistical analysis reveal that a leader s behaviour explains the vast majority of workplace engagement.
Start from Ground Zero Consider the soup you are in Understand the sub cultures and value webs that define them Connect the dots through shared values Create an environment where people can soar Encourage people to challenge Make it safe for people to fail Invite diverse voices and experiences to the table Expect excellence and make the possible happen
Engagement From Ground Zero QUESTIONS AND CONVERSATION