Hiring an employee and continuing to pay them is only the half battle in keeping them motivated. The other half of the challenge is to maintain good engagement levels, whereby they remain invested not only in the company, but also in their role with it. Here are 10 strategies for management engagement to get you started.
- Give useful feedback
Feedback sessions are one of those things that can make employees nervous. Especially if they have a boss that doesn’t know how to give it. Bad leaders are the ones who mistake the word ‘feedback’ for ‘reprimand’, and use the time to highlight every single tiny mistake their team has made with orders to never do it again. But what good is that? How does a team grow and learn from it? Actual feedback, on the other hand, is a constructive process. It doesn’t shy away from tackling hard topics, but it doesn’t end with the finger of blame. It ends with a good conversation about the hows and whys and where to from there. It also looks not just at mistakes but at things that can be done better to help both the worker and the company. It’s the language that doesn’t start with “You did this wrong” but with “Let’s look at this, and talk about how you could have approved it differently…” It’s something that offers encouragement not discouragement and, in truth, is the best type of feedback of all, because it shows that, as a boss, you’re interested in helping your people grow.
- Create a dialogue
As a leader, your role is to make decisions and ensure that your team, regardless of size, performs optimally in alignment with the company’s goals. Some believe that leadership equates to dictatorship—eschewing consultation, never displaying doubt, refusing to acknowledge errors, and shifting blame onto others. However, this approach can lead to a lack of respect, short tenure, and ultimately, a loss of staff. No one appreciates working under a dictator. While people understand that ultimate responsibility lies with you, they will respect a leader who cultivates a team-oriented environment, acknowledges the intelligence and capabilities of their staff, involves the team in both major and minor decisions, and accepts accountability when necessary.
- Don’t harp on about mistakes
In business, mistakes occur daily, with varying degrees of severity. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to investigate the causes and consequences of these errors. Workers understand the necessity of this process; the best employees will even initiate it. However, the actions taken afterward will determine the lasting impact and shape employees’ perceptions of management. There are two approaches: a competent manager will thoroughly evaluate the issue, decide on corrective actions, devise strategies to prevent recurrence and then move on. In contrast, a poor manager dwells on the mistake, resorting to unnecessary passive-aggressive comments even if no demotion occurs. Remarks like, “We could send Jason for coffee, but he might forget the order, just like with the Jones Company,” exemplify harmful bullying that fosters an adversarial atmosphere among the staff.
- Encourage congeniality
It’s true staff get paid to do a job. And ideally they would sit at their desk, log on and work solidly for their entire shift. But that’s not how human nature works. People want to connect, to have conversations, to share funny parts of their job and to ensure they can find enjoyment in a place they spend a huge chunk of time. This is something you absolutely need to encourage. That’s not to say you need to schedule ‘fun’ time for everyone in the office, you just need to make it known you’re cool with the odd moment of downtime or humour. That means smiling at staff when they’re having a conversation, or allowing them to turn on the TV in the kitchen when there’s a big sporting on. It doesn’t mean glancing pointedly at your watch and sighing every single time you see two people chatting. Unless, of course, they’ve been doing it for an hour. Then we suggest sighs give way to more serious prompts to get back to work.
- Add some extras
The principle of encouragement might begin with acknowledging that staff are compensated for their work and should be content to perform it. However, it’s crucial to remember that you are managing people, not machines. A bit of extra encouragement can make a significant difference, especially when management allows employees to partake in the company’s success with gestures that convey, “You are important.” Such gestures could include granting an additional day off for birthdays, celebrating a new contract with a team breakfast, or ensuring the work Christmas party is exceptional. While these gestures may cost a bit, they invariably foster goodwill and lasting positive memories that outweigh their financial cost.
- Ditch management speak
Bad managers love business buzzwords and phrases, worst among them the dreaded ‘synergy’. They somehow feel such language makes them sound managerial, but if anything, it does the opposite. Staff know when convoluted corporate speak is being used to show off, to disguise a lack of facts or to try to polish a negative outcome, so you’re actually making the situation worse with a lack of honesty and transparency. Instead, couch your words in normal, every day vocabulary. Trust us, if there’s no changing the facts of a situation, they would rather hear the phrase: “I’m afraid we had to let some people go” than be told “We have experienced some internal efficiencies.”
- Train them up
Employees are recruited for their specific skills, yet both the employee and employer understand that this is merely the beginning. As the business landscape shifts, so must skills and expertise, and ongoing training (including online induction) is the optimal way to stay current, offering numerous advantages. For employees, it’s an opportunity to expand their skill set, aiding in career advancement and potentially leading to higher pay. Moreover, when an employer invests in training, particularly in comprehensive programs like business courses relevant to various roles, it fosters loyalty and signals a commitment to the employee’s future, providing much-needed assurance. Employers, in turn, gain not just measurable improvements in efficiency and skill levels within their team, but also, ideally, a return on their investment through enhanced employee loyalty – a value beyond monetary measure.
- Offer a defined career path
Some companies, by nature of their workforce, aren’t in a position to showcase a career path within the company. But a decent-sized one, with varied levels of staff and management, may in the fortunate position of being able to promote an employee through the ranks as positions arise and performance allows. As we said before, no one wants to do the same job forever, so eventually, a stagnant staffer will look around for what else is available. And if there’s good potential to do something new or climb the ladder with their existing employer – especially if you’re known to promote internally where possible – you’ve got a much better chance of keeping them, their experience and knowledge on tap. And that’s a win-win situation.
- Trust staff without micro-managing
The title of manager often reveals much about the role. However, there’s a significant difference between management and micromanagement, with the latter likely to fail. A good leader outlines tasks, collaborates with staff, and trusts them to fulfill their roles. In contrast, a micromanager monitors every detail of the staff’s actions, which is not only inefficient but also signals a lack of trust in their abilities. This approach can quickly stifle innovation, creativity, and motivation, fostering a culture of resentment that is difficult to reverse.
- Be engaged yourself
This is such a simple point, but one that’s often overlooked. Being a manager doesn’t mean you want staff to fear you. Nor do you want to be their best friend. The ideal is somewhere between the two; a healthy sense of respect underlined by a cordial relationship. So make an effort to be invested in their lives a little bit. To know if they have a family, or to understand what shapes them outside hours. Take the time to have the odd conversation in the hall, to say hello in the lift, to discuss a mutual interest by the coffee machine. Again, it’s about remembering you’re leading people, not machines, and you can guarantee that those shared moments of connectivity are the things that helps to glue a team together. And at the end of the day, that’s exactly what you want.
- Lead from the front
The adage “Do as I say, not as I do” is often quoted by parents to their children. However, this approach is ineffective in management. Considering the typical divisions between management and staff, it’s crucial to demonstrate that you’re willing to do what you ask of them. For instance, if the company needs to reduce electricity waste, ensure you turn off your office lights when leaving in the evening. If there’s a need to cut expenses, avoid lengthy lunches on the company’s dime. And if a task demands everyone’s effort, don’t depart precisely at 5pm. Your actions as a manager are always noted, and if your team sees that you’re ready to lead by example, they are more likely to follow suit.
Do you have any questions or great tips to share?
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