Waking Up to Engagement

My CD/Radio alarm clock is 7 years old. I occasionally use the snooze button, stealing an extra 8 minutes of sleep. At times, I’ve even hit the snooze button again after the 8 minutes, then again and again. One time, I captured 8 8-minute snoozes, pressing that button after each mini-nap. More than an hour’s worth of snoozing.

Was I surprised last week! My alarm went off. I felt like more shut-eye. I tapped the snooze button. Accidentally I hit it twice. The LED clock face did not flash the customary 8. Instead it flashed 16!

Discovery! I could hit the snooze button a bunch of times, one right after the other, for cumulative snooze time. 4 taps would give me 32 minutes of snooze.

I was delighted by my discovery and embarrassed that it was a “duh!-scovery.” Something just about anyone else probably knew before they even took their alarm clock out of its box.

So, here’s my invitation to you now. Think of ways by which you might provide engagement encouragement to your people – ways that might already be growing under your feet, so close by you do not notice them. Sort of like my alarm’s snooze control.

I don’t mean directions or instructions or assignments that make them sit up and take on some for-the-moment engagements. I mean some actions, behaviors, simple deeds you might perform that contribute to and foster a Culture to Engage in your workplace.

Let me offer you three.

Engagement Encouragement #1: Make eye contact. When you speak and when you listen to an individual working with you, make certain you are looking her in the eye. A wonderfully simple way to let an individual know what she is saying means something is to look her in the eye as she speaks to you. An equally simple way to let that individual know you care about her and what you are saying to her is to look her in the eye as you speak.

Engagement Encouragement #2: Talk about expectations – your expectations. To ensure that people engage in the work that is expected of them, let them know what you expect. It’s your choice whether you discuss expectations in a “lay-down-the-law” manner or a “let’s make this work together” manner. This conversation lets you see and hear the individual’s reactions (comprehension, acceptance, confusion, resistance...) to what you say you expect of her.

Engagement Encouragement #3: Talk about expectations – theirs. The conversation that makes the most difference flows in two directions. Invite the individual to share his expectations of himself and his work. (Remember EE#1 about eye contact as you listen!). Hearing his expectations gives you the chance to redirect if necessary, to clarify what needs clarification, and to congratulate on accurate perceptions of what is expected.

Evidence continues to support that the most frequent cause of an individual’s engagement in his or her work is the manager, specifically the clarity with which the manager spells out and reinforces expectations. Or not. Clearly expressed and understood expectations enhance engagement; the absence of that clarity blocks engagement.

You can choose from things as simple as looking in your people’s eyes and making a few moments available for simple conversation. Really as easy as tapping the snooze button.