Employee engagement has been a hot topic in the workplace for years. It’s probably because most organizational efforts to address the issue have fallen flat. The harsh reality that we, as leaders, must face is that we’ve been doing it wrong.
Yes, you read that correctly. It’s time for those in leadership to acknowledge that we’ve simply been missing the mark. Somewhere along the line, we convinced ourselves that engagement was about perfecting the employee’s circumstances in exchange for better performance. We gathered feedback from employee surveys, conducted team days away and offered other fun perks.
After reviewing less than credible survey feedback, we become so busy trying to win our teams over that we overlook key details that are vital to the organization. If employee retention is down, we must ask ourselves if it’s impacting organizational performance and how? What is the status of our most valuable employees – are they engaged? And how credible are the rest of the employees who report back on the surveys?
Engagement isn’t something you can buy or manufacture in the workplace. Sustained employee engagement comes from developing accountability in conjunction with engagement. Two of the four factors of accountability are resilience and commitment. Resilient employees are willing to perform regardless of their circumstances. When held accountable, they realize they are not victims of circumstance and understand they are architects of their lives. This mindset enables them to handle anything that comes their way and makes for happier, more productive work experiences.
Be the change you want to see by hardwiring personal accountability in your workplace and calling your employees to greatness. For more information on employee engagement, check out my blog on FastCompany.com. To discover how to instill accountability in your team, sign up for one of our public seminars today.
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