Here’s a number that should concern us all: only 30% of employees are engaged. That’s seven of every ten employees who are not actively trying to make your business successful.

Data and research has proven that ownership creates engagement, and engagement is what moves the needle in innovation, profits, and overall retention.

That means when it comes to our businesses, we need to prioritize taking care of our employees and improving our leadership abilities.

Ask Yourself

Are the teams aligned or is there tension? If you even so much as suspect that there is anything but alignment you want to get a team coach in immediately. One bad apple…

Is what I want clearly communicated? In the absence of clear information, people fill in the blanks on their own—and they may not take the steps you want them to.

How motivated is my team? Cost savings and money in your pocket is always a factor, but a motivated and happy employee is the ticket to profits.

Lack of Employee Engagement Causes

Now let’s understand some of the common issues resulting to the lack of employee engagement that needs fixing. Here are a few scenarios you might find helpful in recognizing what types of things can cause employee engagement to drop, and what you can do about it.

Partners, leadership teams, or founders are not on the same page

If “business parents” fight, the culture becomes toxic from the top down. And don’t for one moment believe that your employees don’t know what goes on. Your body language and those pointed comments or emails tell the story. If the top is unclear and out of sync, nobody else can be congruent either.

Your first call to action is always to get leadership aligned. Work it out, or hire someone who can bring you back on the same page. When I work with partners or team leaders, I find that they easily slip into managing each other instead of managing the business. We can fix this together in one day. It may just be one of the best investments you ever make.

Excluding people

There are two ways to interpret this. Efforts to include everyone when sharing any and every piece of information, especially on projects, include clicking the dreaded “reply all” or “message to everyone.” This can create an unnecessary load and it is NOT what I am talking about.

What I mean here is the hierarchy of relevant information. I truly believe that in a team or on a project everybody needs to buy into your vision. For example, if you exclude your admin people at the start, you’ll spend more time explaining what needs to be done because tasks are out of context. People need context, so give it to them and encourage them to think independently. It’s okay if you ask team members at which level of development they want to be cued in. When it is their choice, it helps creates ownership and adds to the dialog needed to keep people thinking and engaging.

Over- or Underestimating Where Great Ideas Are Born

I vividly remember a speaker who shared an example of a candy maker who bought an expensive machine. But, to change that machine to produce a different type of candy took four hours to recalibrate and set it up, causing a huge loss in productivity and output. So, the owner got his engineering team front row tickets to a Formula One race. They were so close to the pit that they could see how a team changes tires and fuels a car in 30 seconds. Guess what happened next? The team went to the drawing board and was able reduced the time to somewhere around 40 minutes. An outside perspective or an idea can come from anyone on your team, so include them and expose them to outside stimuli.

Results tell the story

Many, many times business owners insist that everything is working great, even when the numbers tell a different story or the results are not what they could be. Only when we give the opportunity for everyone to safely express opinions will we have an environment that encourages contribution.

We are entrusted the wellbeing of the people who work for us.

The most significant amount of an employee’s life is spent at our organizations. That is a big responsibility. The way we treat them and appreciate them trickles down to how they feel about themselves and how they perform their work. It also affects their ability to be innovative or find creative solutions. So, treat employees well, give them what they need, listen to their input, and then enjoy the rewards of a thriving business.

Let’s grow!

 

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Beate Chelette is The Growth Architect and a results-oriented businesswoman with an entrepreneurial spirit and a proven track record in growing, building and scaling women’s businesses. Once $135,000 in debt and a single mother, she successfully sold her business to a global entertainment media company owned by Bill Gates in a multi-million dollar deal.

Through her online courses, one-on-one training programs and live speaking events, she mentors women entrepreneurs with her 5 Star Success Blueprint, developed with the knowledge gleaned from her growing, scaling and selling her own company. Beate has a deep commitment to supporting women.

She is the creator of The Women’s Code, the fourth step of Growth Architecture that is focused on Supporting Balanced Leadership. Her proprietary methods specifically address women’s obstacles and she leads from experience, having survived in business in a highly competitive male-dominated environment.

She is a respected speaker and mentor and is the author of the book “Happy Woman Happy World How to Go From Overwhelmed to Awesome”, a book that corporate trainer and best-selling author Brian Tracy calls “a handbook for every woman who wants health, success and a fulfilling career.”