I’ve always liked the word ‘engagement’. I think it means that someone is paying attention, is involved, and a part of something significant.
Unfortunately, many people in the business world aren’t truly ‘engaged’ with their work.
In this series 4 part series about engagement, we’ll talk about how to keep your team members engaged. We’ll have some fun stories and great examples of engaged individuals and teams along the way. :)
Stay Engaged
A fun part of my business is the authentic conversations I get to have with people along the way. The person that I’m highlighting here is a current coaching client that I work with. He’s based in Israel and has just recently launched into his professional career after spending time in the Israeli army.
Smart, Driven, Energetic, Motivated... but not Fully Engaged
Adam (not his real name) is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. He has a photographic memory. When we go through some coaching materials together he always remembers it when we review it later. I don’t mean a general overview. He remembers it exactly…and word for word.
Adam is also very motivated. He can handle man things at once. For example, he’s working a full-time job, has started 2 businesses, and also manages to juggle time with his family and girlfriend.
Though he’s just barely 21 years old, people easily recognize how talented he is. As soon as he got a good resume/CV together, he started receiving job offers.
He's only been a few months on the job. Adam has done great. But…his company is losing him.
Adam didn’t have an engaged supervisor. He didn’t have someone supporting and coaching him. His supervisor wasn’t bad….he just wasn’t fully ‘tuned in’ to Adam and his needs.
Growing Dissatisfaction
I’ve worked in many different companies myself. Some were great, some weren’t. Eventually…like Adam…I’d have some of this ‘growing dissatisfaction’ the more time I’d spend with the company.
At times, I’d hang with it…get a new opportunity in the company…and keep growing and developing. More often than not, if those core things to help me stay engaged weren’t there….then I’d start looking for something different.
With Adam’s growing dissatisfaction he started thinking about greener pastures. Soon, he started having other companies reach out to him.
In one of our weekly meetings, he told me about a company that had some promise. This company showed interest in him. He told them what some of his key passions are. They told him about some of their key needs.
Next thing I know, Adam has a significant offer. They are letting him take the specific position that he wanted (even though he knows he’s not 100% prepared). They offered him a 15% salary increase. The commute will be 30 minutes instead of 90 minutes.
Hard Decision?
In the end, it wasn’t a hard decision for him. His company wasn’t a bad company. His boss wasn’t a bad boss. But…they didn’t tune in to the clues that he was becoming disengaged.
Adam gladly accepted the position and he’s starting next week.
Staying Engaged - Who's Responsibility is it?
Some of you were frustrated when you read the story above. It’s happened to you. You had a talented person…and they got away.
You may not even have realized that they were disengaged. You may not have realized their growing dissatisfaction.
But…talented people will sometimes get bored. These same people will give you clues if you pay attention. And…if you ask them how they are doing…and honestly listen and respond – they will tell you.
Some of you reading this think it’s the responsibility of the employee to stay engaged. I don’t disagree.
But…you can help them to stay engaged by showing them that you care about their development.
You can help them to stay engaged by asking them questions.
You can help them to stay engaged by supporting them on a regular basis.
Is it extra work for you? Maybe.
But isn’t it worth it if you keep good people in your organization?
Engagement Survey
'Want to be proactive in keeping your employees engaged? Thanks to our partnership with Summit SmartFarms, we have a new product to offer. Check out our new Engagement Survey service. We can come to your farm or business and measure a 'baseline' of engagement for you. We can follow up every few months to measure your progress in keeping your team engaged. Reach out to me today to book your engagement survey at brent@agteambuild.com
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