To Lead or Engage Staff – That is The Question
Often we are asked by the leadership of organisations to help them engage their staff for a number of reasons such as low morale, poor staff retention, weak communication, uncertainty over culture changes or unsatisfactory overall business performance. In doing so, some of these organisations can fall into the trap of treating leadership and employee engagement as two mutually exclusive objectives – be that due to lack of skill or confidence. They feel that perhaps running a series of workshops around staff conversations will address the engagement issue but without the presence, wholehearted support and face to face involvement of the leadership team within that process – the value of the activity has limited impact on organisational change or progress. It can’t be stressed enough that the most successful companies on this planet have been built on cultures that see leadership and effective employee engagement as synonymous. You simply can’t have one without the other.
Employees would describe a good leader as one who is visible, passionate about the organisation’s development and success, knowledgeable about its staff and activities at all levels, approachable and willing to listen to employee feedback and criticism, active in making prompt changes where and when required, and finally hands on or ‘walking the talk’. In other words, a leader should role model what they wish to see in their staff. But equally a good leader should ensure that they always have their finger on the pulse of the organisation’s commitment to staff, be open to listening, learning and acting on their needs, ideas and concerns in order to fully understand what is required to attract calibre employees, retain them and motivate them to perform to the very best of their ability.
The answer to the question is…..to lead is to engage, and to engage is to lead!