Engage by Being Engaging

Engagement surveys. Employee surveys. Annual surveys. Net Promoter Scores.

Charts. Graphs. Comparisons. PowerPoints. Plans.

Sweet mother of God, stop the madness! Stop wasting your employees’ time by asking them to fill out a mind-numbing survey while using words only an organizational development expert would understand.

STOP IT! I beg of you, stop it …

Now, take a deep breath and brace yourself. We are about to get really deep and scientific and head gamey with you.

Ready? Okay, here it is. It’s deep so prepare yourself. Hang on to something if you need to. Here goes.

Talk … to … your ... employees

That’s it. That’s all I got. Phew - I’m spent!

See, here’s the thing. The only way to truly engage your employees, short of threats and harassment, is to ask them questions and talk to them. Don’t make it any more complicated than it needs to be. Engage by being engaging!

What do you need to be successful?

What do you think?

How can I help in making this action possible?

How can I help you be accountable for completing this action?

What am I doing that is getting in your way of being successful?

What will success look like when we achieve it?

How will you feel when you/we are successful on this task?

Keep it simple. When you lead by asking questions and listening, people will usually tell you what you need to know. And the information will be a damn sight better that what they tell you by filling in a bunch of little circles with their #2 pencil. ENGAGING = AMAZING. Everytime.