Inspiration and Engagement, HR Style

This post has a heavy HR bent to it so if you're not interested, move to the next one. 

 

All good leaders understand how critical it is to inspire, motivate and engage their employees.  There is all kinds of research out there that proves that engaged employees are better team players, deliver higher levels of performance and are an integral component of becoming a great company.  But most leaders don’t know how to develop a higher percentage of engaged people within your employee ranks than your competitor, and that’s the trick. 

So here’s a few tips that might prove useful if you are in a leadership role and traveling on this path. 

First, be flexible in your approach to employee engagement.  What’s the one thing I can do that will provide higher levels of employee engagement for my employees?  Nothing.  See, each of your employees will be most motivated and inspired by something different so the best you can do is be as flexible to their unique formula for inspiration and engagement.

Second, make a point of being personal.  Don’t try to get your employees personally engaged through an “arms length” leadership approach.  They want to know their leader(s) are human beings and showing that you are just as human as them will give you the opportunity for them to trust you.  Trust is a key ingredient to engagement. 

And finally, want the ‘quick and dirty’ way to quickly assess someone’s inspiration and the path to being an engaged employee?  Check out their screen saver and build your employee value proposition around that.  Screen savers and office or cube personal effects are chocked full of clues to why employees really work at your company.  Kid pictures and family? Then offer HR programs and policies that maximize time with those loved ones.  And take a look at where the pictures are taken.  Seldom are they school pictures.  Typically the picture is taken at the pool, skiing in the mountains or taken immediately following a piano recital.  Lots of hints in that picture as to how to dial into that employees passions. 

Maybe their screen saver is a picture of themselves in Thailand.  Ah, they like to travel.  Good to know.  Or maybe the screen saver is the company logo … hmmmm, probably a workaholic who is very committed to the company.  Good news!  If you are running an engineering company and their screen saver is of a favorite project the company executed it probably means the same thing.   

The point here is to really dial in on what is most personal and meaningful in their life, and try to figure out a way for the company to align with those passions.  Offering a volunteer day is a great idea for those employees who have altruistic motives.  Take a pet to work day works for those whose animals are prominently displayed on their screen savers.  Be creative and be flexible. 

Trust me when I say that whatever cost is associated with dialing in on these passions will be returned tenfold in the retention performance and engagement benefits reaped. 

It’s a great model, your employees will love it, and so will your C-suite. 

Happy engaging!