Disengaged workers can be a huge drain on a company’s resources, energy and success. In a 2013 study, researchers found that in many companies, over 70% of workers are either disengaged (53%) or actively disengaged (18%) (working against company success), leaving only 30% of workers to pull the load. Employees that are actively disengaged can spread their disengaged attitudes to the entire team and drag productivity and overall morale way down.

One of the hardest challenges a leader faces is establishing and keeping team focus and engagement over time. Unfortunately there is no magic bullet or secret technique that if applied will ensure success. That being said, here are seven key principles, that if applied, can dramatically enhance employee empowerment and engagement.

  1. Start with the big picture – In his best selling book, Start with Why, Simon Sinek talks about how great companies focus on why they do things instead of what things they do. Starting with why really exposes the soul of the organization – its driving force. Understanding the driving force can inspire. Feeling like you are part of larger mission, something greater than one’s own self can make people work harder.
  2. Narrow focus to team focus – once the team understands the “why” of the company, the leader next needs to communicate how the team fits into the big picture. How do the team projects contribute to driving the big picture forward? As your team considers the projects it will take on in a particular month, quarter or year, careful consideration should be taken to ensure that selected projects move the big picture forward.
  3. Individual contributions matter – So now that the team understands the big picture and the team’s part in it, how does each individual play a role? People want to matter. They want to feel valued. No one wants to feel like a number or a replaceable cog. Nothing kills engagement faster than when someone feels that they are not cared about or respected as individuals. People who feel that their contribution matters are engaged. They feel empowered and more importantly, connected to the group. A good leader makes sure that his people understand how their individual contribution contributes to the company’s overall success.
  4. Reward overall successes – Reward based on how well the company and the team do, not just on individual accomplishments. In 2008, we witnesses how rewarding individual accomplishments, even those that ultimately harmed the companies these people worked for, led to one of the biggest financial disasters in recent history. Individuals became rich but ended up killing the golden goose. Rewards should have some, if not most elements, based on team and company achievement, instead of just individual contributions. If possible, rewards should also have some measurement over time, looking at actions and success over a period of years instead of weeks or months.
  5. Purge the the actively disengaged – Firing people is a really hard thing. I don’t know anyone who enjoys it. Some of us wait way too long before we cut loose someone who is a bad fit. By not purging the actively disengaged, we poison our own well. The bad apples not only sew seeds of discontent but they also send the wrong message to your team. If we act quickly to remove the unengaged, our team will feel more confident that they have teammates who are willing to work as hard as them. Purging the actively disengaged, creates a more healthy work environment and greatly enhances overall engagement.
  6. Communicate, reiterate and encourage – This process is an ongoing one. We humans tend to focus on the immediate and often lose sight of the long term. Leaders need to stay on message and continually re-inforce the big picture and the team’s and the individuals part in it. The leader’s job is to establish the vision and work hard to help your team understand it, then to work with the individual to harness their skills and experience to move toward the team and company goals.
  7. Listen and adapt – Listening should be a constant and consistent activity. Seek feedback from your peers, your team and the senior leaders of the company. Use this feedback to gauge whether your vision and message is being heard and whether you are on the right track. If your message is getting muddled, adjust it and fine tune it until it connects with your team. Because people are different, what works for one, may completely turn off another. Knowing your audience and adjusting your message to the individual is the only way to effectively communicate and keep engagement.

I’d love to hear your feedback and welcome further discussion on this. Please share your methods for building and keeping engagement high on your teams.