VIVA NOLA October 2018

The Struggle to Engage
LEAD UP
and Motivate Employees
By Blanca Robinson
VIVA Consulting Group
Every leader faces this problem. In fact, it is a
billion-dollar problem! According to Gallup, only 13% of
employees worldwide are engaged, and 25% of
employees report that they are actively disengaged. The
costs associated with this are staggering in terms of
lost productivity and the cost of replacing employees.
Engaging and mobilizing employees can be a daunting
challenge, but a few simple behaviors can make a huge
difference to improve engagement.
It i s fr u str ati n g to have to r ead m i n d s
Many employees are frustrated because they feel like
they must read their manager?s mind. They don?t know
how they are doing and how they can improve their
performance. The annual performance review is
sometimes their only chance to find out, and that event
is so stressful and formal that the environment is not
always conducive for improvement.
Span s of con tr ol con tr i bu te to the pr obl em
This situation is not completely the fault of
management. In some organizations, spans of control
have become so large that managers must complete
formal performance reviews monthly.
The sol u ti on s ar e si m pl er than you m i ght thi n k
There are many simple strategies to engage and
mobilize employees. They cost almost nothing to
implement, can be put into place immediately, and have
huge impact. For instance, one opportunity that many
leaders have ? even at the C-level ? is to give more
frequent, informal feedback about how each employee
is doing. That way, everyone in an organization knows
what is expected of them and how they can get better.
The 7 qu esti on s
There are seven simple questions every leader must
answer and communicate to employees frequently.
Small, informal conversations about performance go a
long way, especially when they include teachable
moments about different situations and details.
W hat d o I expect fr om you ?
W hat ar e you d oi n g w el l ?
W hat, i f an ythi n g, cou l d you be d oi n g better ?
W hat, i f an ythi n g, d o I w an t you to d o better ?
W hat w i l l happen i f you i m pr ove (e.g., m or e
r espon si bi l i ty, m or e ti m e w i th l ead er shi p,
m or e d esi r abl e assi gn m en ts?
W hat w i l l happen i f you d on 't i m pr ove?
H ow can I hel p?
While all these questions are important, the last
question is especially important. It shows the employee
that the leader cares and is not merely abdicating
responsibility or shifting blame.