Engagement. The critical focus area

We have recently entered a new era where a shift in leadership/management focus will largely determine the success of any organization.  The shift needs to be towards creating high levels of "Engagement."

The Cambridge Dictionary defines the noun form of the term engagement in this useful way: 

Engagement is the fact of being involved with something.

If you have been paying even modest attention to the events of the last 4 years, you likely have heard of "Quiet Quitting."  It refers to employees who keep their jobs but just don't put in much effort.  They lack productive focus. 

Another critical current issue:  "Gen Z" attitudes.  Talk to almost any manager and you'll likely get an earful of frustration and examples of how "Gen Z" workers don't show up to work consistently, lack focus, look at their phones all day and lack commitment.  It’s a bit more serious than the old saw about "what's the matter with kids these days?" It’s a real crisis.

Older workers have their own version of this issue known as "Retiring in place." Silicon Valley employers refer to this as "Resting and Vesting," describing older workers who just want to reach certain financial goals before retirement, but have little interest in actually doing their jobs. 

There are numerous causes which can be pointed to, but for managers needing to get things done the need is clear: they want their employees to get "engaged."  Leaders want to see employees focusing energy on productivity. 

It sounds easy enough, but it's not.  Here's why and what you can do about it. 

I refer to the years from roughly 1990 to 2019 as the era of "tell." The internet was being built out at lightspeed.  Employees were getting more data than humans have ever had access to thrown at them in ever increasing amounts.  Although we take it for granted now, realize that the phone in your pocket is infinitely more capable than the warehouse sized computer used by NASA scientists during the first moonshot. 

Up to 2019, it was very common to hear people say "well the data says…."  We were drowning in data.  And it was all "telling" us things.  Faster than we could assimilate it in many cases.  We were being "told" a great deal more through technology as well.  Endless emails, texts, mobile phones and now countless apps constantly message us. 

The pace of informational intake was overwhelming and relentless.  Then the covid impact changed everything.  We all slowed down.  Commuting dried up.  Office water cooler talk was rare or non-existent.  Working from home lead to a more leisurely pace. 

Some of this may be positive.  But there is a downside:  levels of engagement.  A great drop off in the "Fact of Being involved" at previous levels. 

We can help.  Programs designed to develop the skills your leaders need to drive engagement levels upward do exist. When tailored to your specific environment, the impact can be profound.  Managers with the ability to connect at truly meaningful levels with employees from diverse backgrounds and experience levels drive motivation and job satisfaction levels higher. 

Let's discuss your engagement, and how we can tailor development experiences that support your leaders ability to drive high quality engagement.