Many companies have employee engagement initiatives. Resources and tools are proliferating at
blinding speed. A simple search on the
topic yields millions of results. With
so much information it can be daunting to sort out what is right for your company.
One approach can be found at the intersection
of strategy and first-line leaders. Spin
the dial with that combination and you can unlock your workforce. Let me outline how.
I’ve worked with many organizations designing and
implementing employee engagement initiatives.
Despite industry and organizational differences, they all have a few
things in common.
1.
Employees express dissatisfaction in
understanding the organization’s strategy.
2.
An employee’s relationship with their immediate
manager has a far greater impact on engagement and performance than any other
factor.
3.
Employees lack sufficient line-of-sight between
the work they perform and the unique value the company delivers to its
customers.
The secret to unlocking engagement in your workforce is at
the intersection of these factors. The
golden key is in the hands of your first-line leaders. Engage this group and magic begins to happen.
Now what is our
strategy?
One of the most common mistakes executive teams make is
assuming a strategy presentation to employees is
sufficient. If that approach were effective why do most employees report a lack of awareness? An organization’s strategic plan is generally
written in C-suite terms not easily translatable into work-unit relevance. I’ve personally experienced employees leaving
a strategy presentation or finishing a webcast saying “did you understand a
word they said?”. You can’t assume employees
will connect the dots between their work and your strategy. If you believe that employees should know and
understand the strategy, you have to express it in terms they relate to.
Here’s where first-line leaders can make a tremendous
difference. Help these leaders connect
the dots and they become ambassadors with far greater influence than the front
office. Strategy at this level has to be
localized. This effort may appear to be
more tactical than strategic, but strategy itself is a matter of perspective;
what is strategic at one level may be tactical at the next level up. Help supervisors appreciate how their team’s
effort aligns with key elements of the strategy. Work directly with this group and if
necessary iterate until you find messages that resonate.
First-line leaders
are the tipping point
The adage “employees don’t leave companies, they leave
managers” has been supported by studies.
I have numerous personal examples where a manager’s relationship was the
critical factor in a decision to leave or stay.
Just recently, a colleague shared that his recent decision to change
companies was driven entirely by his relationship with his manager. In his case, he had been heavily recruited by
a competitor for nearly two years but stayed because of the great relationship
with his manager. He reluctantly decided
to leave after it became clear that leadership above his manager was unwilling
to acknowledge his value. I personally
left a position years ago because my manager failed to keep a commitment then
lied about it when confronted. I’m sure
you can recall similar situations.
If the evidence is so compelling, why are first-line leaders
one of the most neglected in so many companies?
What often happens is a high-performing individual contributor gets
rewarded with a team lead or some other supervisory role, then is left to
figure out how to lead. In the absence
of leadership training and positive mentoring, they look above for
examples. Unfortunately, the examples
they may emulate are not setting the best example. This new leader assumes that the behaviors
and skills of those ‘more accomplished’ is what it takes to succeed. Ever consider how a poor senior manager
became that way? Look no further than
their first leadership assignment.
Chances are, they received little or no training or support. Since these first-line leaders have such profound impact, make sure they receive training and support consistent with the leadership culture you want. Invest as much or more in these leaders as you do those above them.
I Can See Clearly Now
…
Employee engagement accelerates with a laser focus on
first-line leaders. These people are
closest to the work and have the greatest impact on employees. First-line leaders should have a clear line-of-sight
to the company’s strategy and the right tools to effectively communicate its
relevance to their team. Employees can
then identify the importance of their individual efforts to the company’s
objectives. A sense of affiliation and
ownership can develop that leads to higher levels of accountability and
engagement.
What about mid-upper level management? What should their role be in employee
engagement? Why not start at the top and
flow initiatives down through the organization?
These are typical questions and reflect the traditional
command-n-control management style. You
do want to engage these leaders and
work directly with first-line leaders at the same time. You want to focus on improving visibility and
alignment between first-line leaders and the strategy. You work with mid-upper level management on
exercising consistent behavior in alignment with the strategy and in supporting
their first-line leaders.
Making the
Combination Work for You
When I work with clients on improving employee engagement, I
encourage them to focus on the connection between their strategy and their
first-line leaders. I don’t ignore other
layers of management entirely but work to simplify and localize strategy in a
way readily consumable and applicable at the work-unit level. In other words, light an engagement fire in
the basement, and let the heat rise.
Surround your first-line leaders with examples and tools aligned with your strategy and consistent with the leadership culture you value. Listen intently to what these leaders are
saying and show a preference to addressing their needs. Recognize teams at the lowest possible level
that are engaged and aligned. Make positive
examples of them. It’s hard and tedious work, but the rewards are worth it.
Looking for additional tips on strategy and employee engagement? Browse through Duane's blog.
Duane Grove is founder of Connect2Action, a strategy
execution specialist at the intersection of employee engagement and executive
leadership, igniting innovation as a lever to accelerate your growth. Follow Duane on Twitter @connect2action and
connect with him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google+. Learn more by visiting
www.connect2action.com.
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