Organizations across every industry are searching for that elusive engagement that is vital to employees remaining focused, connected and performing at their peak. In the industrial services space, engagement can be the difference in an employee remaining with a company, working undistractedly and safely, and delivering higher-quality work in a more efficient manner.
The fact remains that employees are faced with more distractions inside and outside of work than ever before. Technological advances, social media and enticements from competing firms all create distractions and lessen the connectivity employees have with their employers. Leaders often lean on a communications-centric response in an environment that demands a different complexity of solution. No longer can leaders communicate their way out of problems and into their employees’ hearts. It requires more authentic engagement.
We have found the most impactful forms of engagement emerge from “inside-the-box thinking.” As we delve into our fourth installment of our series, our focus turns to the fourth side of the box: engagement. The other three sides — direction, operations and people — have been detailed in previous BIC articles. Engagement speaks to the ways employees understand how their work contributes to company goals, how the company engages with customers, and how the company effectively shares information throughout the organization. This becomes part of the stickiness that binds engaged employees to the company. Not surprisingly, the key dimensions we explore on this side of the box focus directly on employee clarity and fit, customer focus and communication effectiveness.
Employee clarity and fit focus on ensuring that each person, regardless of his or her title or responsibilities, understands his or her place in the larger organization. An employee who is clear about his or her role and contribution to the whole of the department or company is a vital part of engagement. Many leaders assume that the title and daily duties will suffice, but the connection to the whole is a vital component in each employee’s contribution to something greater than him/ herself. It encourages and even demands a measure of pride not simply in the employee’s work but in their co-workers’ and the company’s overall success.
Another dimension that makes up engagement is the focus on the customer, specifically through the lens of the employee. This “inside-out” focus empowers employees to recognize needs and take action on behalf of the company. It forces the employee to not only understand the unstated social contract with the customer, but to accept the role as a carrier of the message to and from the customer, as well as a critical cog in any problem-solving opportunity.
The third dimension, communication effectiveness, is a key contributor to how employees become and ultimately remain engaged with an organization. Effective communication alone cannot successfully engage employees; however, it is a vital part of the whole of this side of the box. Communication effectiveness is predicated on a two-way dialog and a genuine commitment to engagement by all levels of a company’s leadership. Ensuring communication goes up and downstream in an organization is often a more critical function than the actual creation of the message itself. Accepting that the leader’s role is equal parts communicating and listening establishes a framework for communication effectiveness and a lasting engagement with employees.
Outcomes
Getting away from the natural tendency to attempt to communicate our way to clarity and engagement is key to building long-term, sustainable connections with people across the organization. When we focus on engagement as a discipline with defined outcomes, leaders are able to authentically connect with their people in more meaningful and lasting ways that encourage retention, elevate performance and become the heart of clarity.
For more information, email Deutser at bdeutser@deutser.com or call (713) 850-2105.