Are you a CEO, executive, manager or entrepreneur? The degree of your success depends your ability to lead and the relationship you have with your team. Leaders engage and inspire the minds and hearts of others.
This famous quote brings this concept alive:
“When the best leader’s work is done, the people say, “We did it ourselves.”
~ Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu
Here are impressive statistics revealed in a recent Gallup analysis of 1.4 million employees:
- Engaged employees are 22% more productive.
- Engaged employees consistently demonstrate successful outcomes.
- Engaged employees have fewer safety incidents and quality defects.
- Engaged employees exhibit a positive attitude and have low absenteeism.
In an engaged workforce, people want to come to work. Team members understand their jobs and appreciate how their specific responsibilities contribute to the organization’s overall success.
There is a direct relationship between our team member’s “buy in” to the actual implementation and outcomes. It is truly win-win.
An effective leader builds integrated teams whose members work together creatively to achieve the desired results.
Whether you have one direct report or seven, the following guidelines will serve you to be a stronger and more effective leader.
Five Essential Skills You Need to Know to Engage Your Team
1. Maintain Focus. Don’t lose sight of your personal and organizational goals as you face the everyday onslaught of complex information and technology (yet another reason to hire your own coach).
Ask : Am I targeting the essential, top priorities? Do I consistently and effectively communicate these priorities to appropriate team members?
2. Stay in Integrity: Regularly assess whether you’ve strayed from your personal and organizational values.
Ask: Am I staying in integrity with my values, principles and standards even in the face of pressure?
3. Strategically Prioritize and Allocate Resources: Keep resources aligned with long-term goals and strategies. Strong voices from inside and outside the organization can place conflicting demands/pressure on you. Keep your attention on what truly matters in the long run and allocate resources appropriately and strategically.
4. Know and Understand Your Team Members: Each person on your team has their own unique style, strengths and business motivators. Take time to converse with each of your team members to discover what their unique strengths and motivators are. Lead, manage and coach to these strengths and motivators. ( The DISC Assessment is an excellent tool for this and one I use in my work with executives, managers and teams)
5. Be a Role Model: Everything you say and do is magnified and interpreted, often in unintended ways. Your communication and behavior carry weight and influences others. Employees want to know how you handle challenges and achievements.They are watching for your cues and will mirror your behavior. Walk your talk!
By integrating these five guiding principles, you will be a stronger leader in your work. Engaging your team is a wise and strategic endeavor that provides your company positive results.
Go forth and engage!
Copyright © 2018 Diana Long