Engagement - you own it
I recently worked with an amazing manager who had, in a very short time, created a strong team dynamic with her team. The team understood its priorities, worked well together, and was more productive than ever.
But there was one area that the manager felt she was not able to impact. Her team was a back-office team, and felt as if they were not having an impact on the company's service. In other words, because they were not touching, engaging the customers, they felt disconnected from the impact that the company was having on customers.
Engagement isn't just about understanding your purpose within your team. It's about knowing with certainty that what you do is important to the company's mission. And it is the leader's accountability to assure that connection is made for her team.
Tell your team why what they do is important to the company.
Connect the dots - show your team how the work that they do has impact. Everything we do for an "internal customer" of the process, eventually impacts the external customer. Everything. Show them by connecting the dots.
In your recognition to your team members, be specific on what they did well AND how it helped the company achieve an objective. I would sometimes write a letter home, addressed to the spouse, telling them about something your team-member did and how it helped achieve an objective; and i would thank the spouse for their support, acknowledging that sometimes our work takes us away from our families too much.
Talk with your peers and devise a plan for other department heads (and your boss) to drop in on your team, spend some time with them and make them feel included.
In other words, plan actions to assure that your team understands their importance to achieving company objectives. It is powerful to see what happens when people understand how their goals map to the greater goals of the company's business plan.
But there was one area that the manager felt she was not able to impact. Her team was a back-office team, and felt as if they were not having an impact on the company's service. In other words, because they were not touching, engaging the customers, they felt disconnected from the impact that the company was having on customers.
Engagement isn't just about understanding your purpose within your team. It's about knowing with certainty that what you do is important to the company's mission. And it is the leader's accountability to assure that connection is made for her team.
Tell your team why what they do is important to the company.
Connect the dots - show your team how the work that they do has impact. Everything we do for an "internal customer" of the process, eventually impacts the external customer. Everything. Show them by connecting the dots.
In your recognition to your team members, be specific on what they did well AND how it helped the company achieve an objective. I would sometimes write a letter home, addressed to the spouse, telling them about something your team-member did and how it helped achieve an objective; and i would thank the spouse for their support, acknowledging that sometimes our work takes us away from our families too much.
Talk with your peers and devise a plan for other department heads (and your boss) to drop in on your team, spend some time with them and make them feel included.
In other words, plan actions to assure that your team understands their importance to achieving company objectives. It is powerful to see what happens when people understand how their goals map to the greater goals of the company's business plan.
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