As a leader, you’ll find that members of your team may have different ways they like to connect with their colleagues and with you. Watch this week’s “Your Best Next Move” video to learn more about the 3 “C”s of employee engagement:
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Download File: https://www.bobbielaporte.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GMT20221106-163848_Recording_640x360.mp4?_=1Transcript of Your Best Next Move: Taking the 3 Cs Approach to Employee Engagement
Hi everyone, Bobbie LaPorte here again with my weekly leadership tip for your Best Next Move, where I help you see continuing curveballs as an opportunity.
So, we’re talking about employee engagement – again. Why? Because it continues to be an important issue for most companies. According to a new survey from the Conference Board, a nonprofit business think tank, 30% of employees say their level of engagement—the commitment and connection that they feel to their work—is lower than six months ago. And 18% said their level of effort had declined over the last six months.
There has been so much emphasis on this issue, why do we not seem to be making any progress? There are many views on why this is: continuing hangover effect from Covid; a looming recession that could impact millions of jobs; growing financial strain and anxiety that spills over into the workplace.
When I think of the issue of employee engagement, I don’t think of it as a curveball. A curveball generally is a surprise, comes out of nowhere, and can knock you off your feet. To me it feels to me more like a storm brewing: it’s out there, you know it presents a possible danger, but you don’t necessarily feel it until all the perfect conditions arise to create a hurricane, tornado, or some other storm that tears the roof off the house.
It also reminds me of how I feel when I’m training for an Ironman race. It is a 9–12-month effort. There are times when I am totally in it, excited by the challenges and the progress I am making towards my Ironman goal; other times, I feel just plain tired, and worn-out, asking myself why am I doing this anyway?
Regardless of how you view employee engagement as a leader…it is a real thing, and you can’t pretend it’s temporary or will resolve itself. It will always be there and requires constant vigilance on your part to make sure you are paying attention.
Much has been written and suggested about practices, approaches, and programs to improve employee engagement. I am going to go back to my athletic training and suggest three points I hope will be helpful to consider.
They are the 3 Cs:
- Connection
- Certainty
- Contribution
This week I’ll cover Connection, and the others in the next two weeks.
While Connection is a basic human need….it has definitely increased in significance since the pandemic. We’ve learned that people have varying levels of need regarding personal connection. Some people welcomed the opportunity to work from home; others felt very isolated by this, and still, others sorely missed the physical connection of being part of a team.
And particularly new employees, who joined their organization during a period when many of their coworkers may rarely be in the office, have found it particularly difficult to embrace a company’s culture or even develop friends at work. They end up having no connections to anyone or anything.
Again, going back to my training analogy: I am by nature an introvert. So, unlike many of my teammates, I was never too excited about team workouts. I just wanted to get the training started and focus on my performance. But…I did appreciate and look forward to connecting 1:1 with my coach.
He knew my personal mindset around training for Ironman. He knew my strengths and vulnerabilities. He knew when to back off and when to push me way outside my comfort zone and confidence level. He was the one who kept me in the game and helped me cross the finish line in my first Ironman race.
Here’s my tip:
Everyone has different needs. Some appreciate team/staff meetings; others like regular 1:1 contact with their manager. Yet others are fine with ad hoc manager contact when they need it.
So, in the context of continuing to figure this out while workplace plans evolve, ask your team members what they need, how their needs may have changed and how can you best meet them. This alone will establish connection and trust, and you might learn something that will help you tailor how you continue to solve the connection dilemma.
That’s my tip for the week. Next week we’ll cover the second “C” – Certainty. I’ll see you next Monday.
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