“Employees are distracted, continually interrupted by applications and collaborative tools,” Amy Fox, CEO and founder of Accelerated Business Results, said. According to recent research and surveys, only about 32 percent of employees are engaged — involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work.
“Today’s leaders need strategies to make sure employees are engaged and working together to meet business challenges,” Fox said. Today she’s sharing these three steps to help you move forward as a powerful leader:
1. Connect more with employees: Engagingwith employees on a personal level is the key to increasing commitment and engagement. Lead by example, put down your phone, make eye contact and ask questions such as “How are you today?” and “How can I support you?” Regularly get out from behind your desk and engage employees who are energetic and passionate with questions like “What do you think?” and “How do you think we could solve this problem?”
2. Know when to direct and when to collaborate: Many leaders default to the directive approach and fail to realize how collaboration motivates and energizes employees. Collaboration leads to innovation. Decide who to bring together and the ground rules to best leverage their talents and strengths.
3. Coach to continual change: Many leaders are ill equipped to manage change because they are stuck in reactive mode. Change efforts most often fail because people fight against change or don’t know specifically what they need to do to make it happen. To lead change leaders must be proactive. Understand the predictable, universal sources of resistance, strategize around them and communicate to resolve concerns.
“Make sure your message is consistent and always includes the ‘why’ as it relates to the day-to-day realities of your employees,” Fox said.
For more on how to become a badass, effective leader, check out our Leadership 101 series.
Amy Fox is President, CEO and founder of Accelerated Business Results, a leader in innovative business learning solutions, and a consultant to Fortune 500 companies on training and sales performance strategies. Amy and her team are driven to meet the diverse training needs of today’s organizations, from increased sales performance and product knowledge to leadership, communication and coaching skills.
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