People support the world they help create!

People will support a world they helped create! A simple statement to comprehend, yet we see so many organisations getting it badly wrong when it comes to creating work environments that are conducive to collaboration and working towards a common goal.

With the current economic climate that we find ourselves in, it has never been more important for organisations to have the individual goals of their employees aligned to the company’s goals, and to treat their employees as partners rather than as commodities.

So let’s consider why employee engagement during times of turbulence is so important. According to Lockwood (2007), employees with the highest level of commitment perform 20% better and are 87% less likely to leave the organisation.

This shows a clear link between employee engagement and performance. In fact, two of the earlier studies on employee engagement conducted by Watson Wyatt found that “high commitment” organisations (those with loyal and dedicated employees) out-performed “low commitment” organisations by 47% in one study and 200% in another study.

Not only have highly engaged employees been linked to higher levels of performance, they have also been linked to delivering more innovative solutions to situations and solving problems more effectively, Scarlett (2008). Finding ways to create an engaging environment for your employees during the financial crisis can yield positive results for everyone in the short term and the long term.

Therefore what changes might you look to implement when trying to increase your employee’s engagement you may ask?

Regular interaction with your employees gives them the mental support to speak out about any issue concerning them. The first lesson is that workers model their leaders’ behaviour. If leaders are not fully engaged, workers will not be either.

So what can leaders do at an organisational level to engage employees? They must create an engaging environment—one that lends itself to providing the tools and elements employees need to build a sense of commitment. Rather than point their fingers at workers alone, the leaders must lead rather than manage. What managers do and how they behave sets the tone for employee engagement therefore managers must model the level of engagement they seek. HR’s role in this regard is to serve as coach to managers when they do otherwise.

In the long term, education and training of personnel is key, not only in their own personal growth but that of the organisation. Employees are engaged because they have a sense of connectivity, and because they have the drive and desire to be a part of the organisation.

Therefore let’s make sure that we as individuals help create a world that our people support.

Dale Carnegie’s next Free Inspirational Leadership for Managers workshop is on the 8th March or 6th April. Click here for more details.

Mark de Stadler
Peformance Consultant

www.London.dalecarnegie.com