For the past ten years, the employee engagement rate has been around 30%. Currently, it would be 21%* of people who consider themselves to be very engaged at work. A disengaged employee makes 60%* more mistakes. So, what type of manager should you be to better engage your teams?
The pressure always comes back on managers who are responsible for 70%* of the variation in staff commitment. Ouch. These managers, who already have a lot of pressure, are still targeted.
Here are some reasons for disengagement:
- The same problems that recur or persist;
- Broken promises;
- Lack of information and communication;
- Changes that are too frequent, without explanation or meaning;
- Lack of recognition;
- Non-involvement in decisions.
Here’s how to be a more engaging manager in your control.
1. Accept who you are
First, you are a human. You live under pressure. You also have a personality and preferences.
It is often said that a leader must know himself better and it is true.
A leader needs to know himself better to be more engaging.
Knowing yourself better means recognizing your strengths, accepting who you are and being able to better communicate your needs, expectations and have a better impact on those around you.
Like what:
Is respect an important value for you? And in its application, do you think that saying what needs to be said at the right time is part of respect? In this case, clearly communicate this to your teams. On the other hand, if you don’t know how to articulate certain fundamental principles, you can create latent conflicts or be impatient, without really knowing why.
The Getting to Know Yourself online self-training is included in the Engage and Mobilise online self-training course, it’s not for nothing 😉
2. Stay strategic
Then, as a leader, stay strategic in your context and in what you do on a daily basis.
To the context
Last week we were discussing how to ramp up, and context is one of them. I understand that you are (too) busy. I understand that you don’t have a moment of hindsight. In fact, that is the problem. Without hindsight, how do you want to be strategic? How do you want to take the time to notice what’s going on around you?
Do you prefer to continue to react and insist on the task or do you want to feel better, more in control and act more appropriately?
All you need is a few minutes of distance to observe what is happening. How are your customers doing? How is the organization doing? What are its challenges? How are your team members? Is the team achieving its objectives?
So, as a manager, if you lack information about the context or decisions, what can you do? My simple answer is: go ask.
Then pass on what’s relevant to your team.
Towards what you do
In connection with what we have just seen, since when have you not analysed what you do in a day, a week? Yes, really!
If you are a challenger, I invite you to measure your time. This will allow you to better manage your time AND also to know which boss to be to better engage your teams!
If you don’t spend enough time clarifying your expectations, avoiding two people working twice, or if you spend a lot of time justifying your decisions, reading reports, and setting operational “fires,” here’s what you might prioritize instead:
- Manage performance (and non-performance);
- Create a liveable environment;
- Involve the team in goal setting or decision-making;
- Clearly explain (not justify) the why and meaning of the decisions;
- Coaching people on the front lines to unblock situations.
I just mentioned tasks to stop or start doing, there are others! I invite you to take the time to measure your time to find out exactly what to adjust.
3. Get closer
Creating trusting relationships is essential to engaging your teams. Think about your own desire in your work. Even if you are more introverted or more task-oriented, I am convinced that the atmosphere of the team and the quality of the relationship with your manager is key. Even if your job is just a “job,” it’s definitely lighter when the mood is positive.
From each person
If you want to be more engaging, know that you have to take the time with each person. Yes. A frequency of 1 or 2 weeks is ideal. A 30-minute period may be enough. How do you want to connect, create a relationship, and anticipate problems if you don’t take the time with each one?
Don’t have time? Learn to delegate and trust.
Your teams
Also get closer to your teams. Do team-building activities, informal activities, get together in person (after all these months in virtual mode, you’re going to see the beneficial effect!).
At the formal level, monthly meetings where you share the progress of the objectives, inform about the context, and share the successes will be beneficial for engagement. If these meetings are taking place virtually, be sure to organize your meetings so that they are dynamic! Make subgroups for people to connect, use polling tools, music, involve other team members. In short, use your imagination and have fun!
Conclusion
A committed person is active in projects, takes risks, expresses himself. So what to do? What type of manager should I be?
If you don’t notice these disengagement characteristics in one or more members of your team, develop your skills at this level. It will be as beneficial for them as it is for you to get to know each other better, to make more strategic choices and to build relationships of trust.
Engage & Engage self-training can help you and our entire self-training catalog and if your budget is more limited, you have tons of articles right here. We even answer questions about instant messaging, so take advantage of all these services!
*Source: Article 9 statistics on employee engagement that matter in 2021 published on May 3, 2021 in L’Entrepreneur.