Why do some teams fall apart under pressure, when other teams overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and keep getting stronger?  It’s not just about the people.  Teams stacked with great talent often still fail to get past major challenges.  And having a strong leader isn’t enough either.  To deliver truly outstanding results, your team needs a culture of sustained engagement.

What is engagement, and why do I need it?

Engaged employees are fully involved in and enthusiastic about their work.  They want to go the extra mile for each other to achieve great results.  So when the equipment is going to be late, engaged employees are the ones who will come up with creative solutions to get the project back on track. Here are some examples from recent studies:

• Highly engaged employees are almost 80 percent more likely to be top performers.
• Companies with cultures of sustained engagement have operating margins up to three times higher than other businesses.
• Engagement is infectious – it leads to higher employee satisfaction, happier customers, attracts better talent, and helps retain top performers.

Sounds great! What are the key drivers to employee engagement?

Alignment is created when key engagement drivers are incorporated into the team’s everyday working life.  To be fully engaged, employees need:

• The tools, resources and training to succeed;
• High levels of autonomy, and the opportunity to do what they do best every day;
• Acknowledgment and appreciation for their contributions;
• Clearly stated objectives, expectations, and priorities;
• Understanding of the organization’s vision and business goals, and how their job contributes to achieving these goals;
• A healthy balance between work and personal life;
• Trust and respect for their supervisor;
• Peers they view as capable, like-minded, and committed; and
• The opportunity to learn and grow in the workplace.

How do I get some?

Engagement can be created and sustained, but it doesn’t happen by magic – it takes up front investment and some ongoing care and feeding.  We’ll provide more information on how to go about it in the future but for now, there are three key steps you need to take:

1. Assess current state: understand the team’s current engagement level, and which key drivers are missing or lacking.
2. Build the base: empower the team to help define the vision for success and what it will take to get there.
3. Maintain momentum: build engagement drivers into everything you do on a daily basis.

A highly engaged team can succeed no matter what challenges they face.  By understanding what drives engagement, and applying it to your team, you can create a culture of outstanding performance.  Have fun, make change, go get ’em!