August 18, 2009

For the past few months I’ve focused on managers’ responsibility and opportunity to generate involvement, commitment, and engagement among their employees.

Starting this week I’d like to share that wealth. Every member of a business, whether an executive, a leader, a manager, or an employee, has the opportunity to embrace and to activate engagement. That’s especially true in situations where individuals wear the several hats of executive, leader, and manager.

Let’s begin with five ways an executive can promote engagement by employees. (The executive is defined as having administrative, supervisory power over an organization.)

Articulating culture.
A dynamic business culture embraces employee engagement as contributing to success. A business that merely attempts engagement efforts on an as-needed basis is less successful. The powerful executive articulates how, what and why engaged employees are critical to the business culture. She conveys the message to her leaders, her managers, and her employees.

Being visibly engaged.
Employees should clearly see executives engage in directing the business. A steady stream of communication — spoken, written, video’d –  provides this visibility. This may seem accountability, but it is more accurately imprintability. This imprints the desired culture — engagement — in employees’ minds.

Talking engagement within.
The more the executive talks about engaged employees — their actions, their successes, their contributions — the more engagement is understood as a root element within the business culture. Words, stories, examples of engagement  within the business should flow continually from the executive.

Talking engagement without.
As well, the executive should speak of the business’s engaged employees to investors, shareholders, customers, and community members. Demonstrating the power of employee engagement to the outside world reflects pride back to the employees and creates a victorious cycle of increased engagement.

Regularly reviewing cultural reality.
The executive must never take his eyes off the specifics of the business culture. Every business adjusts continually to changing realities of economy, market, customer, and employee. Slight adaptations of the culture of engagement, when required, allow that culture to remain strongly active and generate ongoing success.

Tomorrow we’ll look at how leaders (a broader base within an organization than just executives) can promote greater engagement.

Tags: Employee Engagement, Executive