How to Create an Engaged Workforce

Creating an Engaged Workforce


Leadership is that difficult-to-define quality that turns a group of individuals into a cohesive unit. Often companies are being managed without being led. Sometimes, even the management part is absent.

I have a friend who was the head of the technical development department of a software company who told me about the work environment when he was there. He said that every employee felt that they were important to the success of the company. There was a team atmosphere to such an extent that if one person had to stay late to get something done, everybody stayed late. This was not decreed by management; it was the result of my friend’s skill at bringing the group together that made this happen. There was a level of involvement that made them feel responsible for each other.

Ok, I admit that this level of commitment is rare and probably more likely to occur in younger workers who don’t have young families to bring to soccer practice, but the level of engagement is impressive. What motivates employees to give more to their company than they have to?

The clichés about leading by example are true enough, but that doesn’t quite cover the whole story. Part of the answer, I think, is found in the following points:

1. Care about your employees: Don’t assume that because you give them a paycheck that they are going to gratefully give you 110%. Before demanding overtime from them, ask if there are any volunteers. If overtime is required, let them know that you appreciate the extra effort. Along the same lines, even if occasional travel is part of a job, show that travel is appreciated and that you recognize that it may be disruptive. Take nothing for granted.

2. Involve your employees: Tell employees where the company/department/project is going and how they are important in getting there. If an employee knows how they bring value to the company, they will feel it. Conversely, if you set your strategy behind closed doors and only vaguely communicate the direction and the expected contribution of your workers, you’ll get vaguely engaged workers in return. Good leadership demands that you find ways to get an emotional investment from your team members. They must care about their project and about the company.

3. Be honest: In order to build trust, you must be ready to tell the truth. This means fostering an environment where truth telling is valued and positive. People should be praised for telling the truth even if - especially if - that truth is uncomfortable. And you, as manager, must tell it like it is to employees. If they mess things up, you need to tell them. Most people are pretty self-aware and know when they have screwed something up. As the leader, it is your job to give them the feedback they need in order to learn and improve. If you have fostered a solid, trusting team environment, all feedback will be seen as positive.

There’s obviously much more to this, but these are the first things that pop into my mind.

What would you add?

Project management blog? Why not?

Here we go! I too have decided to wade into the morass of project management opinion, postulation and pontification.

I'll try to keep this light, and if not light then funny, if not funny then informative, if not informative then repetitive. ;-)