Enhancing employee engagement

Some real insights into enhancing employee engagement can be found in the Government report titled "Engaging for Success". You can download a full copy here.

It is a long and academic piece. Here is something that I found really valuable:

This report is not a ‘how to’ guide. However, we were struck in the course of the review how often the same four broad enablers / drivers were cited as being critical to employee engagement.

1. LEADERSHIP provides a strong strategic narrative which has widespread ownership and commitment from managers and employees at all levels. The narrative is a clearly expressed story about what the purpose of an organisation is, why it has the broad vision it has, and how an individual contributes to that purpose. Employees have a clear line of sight between their job and the narrative, and understand where their work fits in. These aims and values are reflected in a strong, transparent and explicit organisational culture and way of working. The late Professor Sumantra Ghoshal, formerly of the London Business School, believed that organisations which were successful in the long haul were characterised by stretch, discipline, trust and support; they were ‘both tough and tender’.

2. ENGAGING MANAGERS. are at the heart of this organisational culture– they facilitate and empower rather than control or restrict their staff; they treat their staff with appreciation and respect and show commitment to developing, increasing and rewarding the capabilities of those they manage. As Chris Bones told us, “the line manager is the lens through which I see the company and the company sees me.”

3. VOICE. An effective and empowered employee voice – employees’ views are sought out; they are listened to and see that their opinions count and make a difference. They speak out and challenge when appropriate. A strong sense of listening and of responsiveness permeates the organisation, enabled by effective communication.

4. INTEGRITY. Behaviour throughout the organisation is consistent with stated values, leading to trust and a sense of integrity.

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DISC Temperament Analysis

Have you ever wondered why it is that some people seem to get you and others dont?

Have you ever wondered why it is that you can say the same thing to two different people and they react very differently?

From a business perspective, this is a huge deal. Sending the right message in the wrong way is non-productive, inefficient, and could be stressful for both parties.

If you want to know more about how you can understand yourself more, link here to complete an online assessment for yourself.

If you want to develop a habit that will increase your personal effectiveness then heed this advice from Stephen Covey:

“Communication is the most important skill in life. You spend years learning how to read and write, and years learning how to speak. but what about listening? What training have you had that enables you to listen so you really, deeply understand another human being? Probably none, right?

If you’re like most people, you probably seek first to be understood; you want to get your point across. And in doing so, you may ignore the other person completely, pretend that you’re listening, selectively hear only certain parts of the conversation or attentively focus on only the words being said, but miss the meaning entirely. So why does this happen? Because most people listen with the intent to reply, not to understand."

Learn how to interpret how others see, hear and understand you by knowing their temperament and their preferred communication style.

Follow the link below and start to unwrap the communications conundrum.