The Focused Energy of Engaged Teams
It’s no surprise that stress levels remain elevated. Many workplaces are dealing with significant change efforts, tight budgets, bandwidth issues, and general uncertainty. So how can managers motivate people despite these challenges? Hint: it’s not eye-catching perks or one-time events. To encourage employees, we need to dig deeper.
Engaged Teams Deliver Better Results
What makes engaged teams stand out? Their team members demonstrate solid emotional commitment and apply discretionary effort. For example, a few years ago, I worked with a cross-functional team tasked with launching an innovative client offering. It was an exciting but daunting project. Each member rolled up their sleeves to pitch in. No one took the approach of “sorry, that’s not my job!” Instead, people pulled together to plan, execute, and review results. Every time I checked in with the group, I felt their shared energy. Despite the high stress levels and unexpected hiccups, the team successfully brought the new suite of services to the market and hit their tight deadline!
These themes are not unique. I commonly hear engaged teams describe themselves in these ways:
We focused on the mission. No one was worried about people’s job titles or egos.
Everyone was willing to jump in and address a problem.
Team members were listening to each other’s ideas.
People were looking out for each other and offered helpful feedback on each other’s work.
When we pull together, we do our best work.
This type of engagement doesn’t happen by accident! These teams are responding to the efforts of their leadership. Their leaders understood and focused on the important fundamentals of employee engagement.
3 Core Essentials for Engaging Employees
Engaged teams have members who feel they are:
contributing to a bigger purpose,
meaningfully connected with the people they work with,
and are making progress.
When these elements are NOT present, people feel unheard, alone, and stuck dealing with work challenges. Skilled managers find a way to help employees feel meaningfully connected with purpose, people, and progress. If your team’s engagement levels have room for improvement, keep reading the following tips for boosting engagement.
1. Purpose
Engaged teams have a clear sense of purpose. Team members share an idea of what is vital and valuable in their work. For example, engaged employees can see how their skills and strengths contribute to a larger goal. Despite short-term hurdles, they recognize the importance of the overarching mission and vision.
Tips for Managers
• Describe to people how their work matters. Go beyond platitudes. Get specific.
• Tell employees how their efforts help the mission, clients/customers, patients, other departments, the initiative, etc. Give them perspective.
• Share what personally motivates you about the work and its bigger purpose.
2. People
Employees are more engaged when they experience support, respect, and trust from the people they work with. Whether they’re working in the office or virtually, their opinions are encouraged and valued. Employees are not shut down or dismissed when they suggest an idea – it’s safe to share their perspectives.
And don’t forget that genuine concern from managers goes a long way. Leaders are critical for each team member to feel they matter as a person and not just an employee number!
Tips for Managers
• Ask individuals how they are doing. Don’t assume.
• Practice active listening skills and allow others to express their ideas.
• Regularly hold one-on-one meetings.
3. Progress
People love to feel a sense of forward momentum. Otherwise, employees feel stagnant or every day feels like “Blursday.” For example, employees are fueled by coaching, feedback, and recognition that helps them do the job better. Likewise, teams are more engaged when they learn from their projects and improve how they work together. This engagement factor also includes confidence in the organization's future - that challenges will be overcome and the company can improve.
Tips for Managers
• Hone team members’ skills and develop talents. Discuss growth and development as a success factor – learning together, getting better, moving forward.
• Point out how employee suggestions have led to improvements.
• Recognize milestones as well as personal and team “bests.”
Bottom Line
Yes, these steps will take deliberate focus and some time. But consider the return on your investment. In the example of the cross-functional team leading the launch of the innovative client offering, they created a new revenue stream for the company and addressed a significant client need. And because they built working relationships based on trust and communication, their departments collaborated more effectively in the following years.
If your employees were better engaged, how would it affect you? How would it affect the work climate? Again, the effort is well worth it. Investing in the three underlying drivers of engagement will position your team for sustainable performance and growth.
Author: Cathleen Swody