Engagement is the new buzzword. Not only for employees but you will hear it used for customers as well. What does it mean to engage?
As defined by Merriam-Webster engagement is:
- an arrangement to meet or be present at a specified time and place
- a job or period of employment especially as a performer
- emotional involvement or commitment
- betrothal
- the state of being in gear
- a hostile encounter between military forces
We will disregard the marriage commitment of betrothal, and that of a hostile encounter between military forces, although daily battles with a disengaged employee might feel like a hostile encounter!
Take words from each definition to drill down to employee engagement:
Be present as a performer with a commitment of being in gear.
Defined this way the onus for engagement just shifted from the employer to the employee. Engagement is a two-way street.
In Terms of Engagement, the three keys for engagement were defined as:
- Select the right people
- Develop employees’ strengths
- Enhance employees’ well-being
These keys are the purview of the company and the role within the company with the greatest impact on employee engagement is that of the manager. However, according to Gallup, only 1 in 10 of us is naturally wired to be a great manager. Another 2 in 10 of us can work to improve our management talent. That leaves another 70% of managers who just aren’t great, and plenty of us have had that experience. If this is your situation, what do you do?
Take responsibility for your own engagement:
- Discover your strengths. Know what you do naturally well and find ways to use that in your work.
- Uncover the areas of your work that engage you. What work feels effortless and the time flies by?
- How can you add more of this engaging work to your daily life?
- Stress and tasks we don’t enjoy are part of even the best work scenarios. How can you shift your mindset to work through these?
- Are there any habits that keep you from being engaged? Out of boredom or frustration do you let email distract you? Do your friends know everything about you as your Facebook page is up-to-the-minute fresh?
Even if you aren’t blessed with a great manager, what you bring to the workplace every day directly impacts what you get from it. Blaming others and pointing fingers won’t change a thing. Change you and see how the world reacts.