Performance leadership - connectiOn and meaning

This is the first of a series of articles on Performance Leadership as it relates to operational excellence and its impact on employee satisfaction and engagement.  The first concept that we are going to explore is the role of the leader in engaging new and seasoned employees.  To do this we are going to look at the principles of connection and meaning.  

Tapping Into That Desire To Do Well

What is evident in today's work climate is that people who get work want to do a good job.  Looking at the hoops that a typical person will have to go through to get a position you know they are going to be committed to the work.   So what happens after they get that job?  Do you take advantage of that commitment and excitement to "get to work?"

Research shows that in spite of these people coming to a new job with a high level of zeal very quickly they will slide into that 33% range of engagement (Gallup, 2016) that the majority of employees wind up at.  Why is that?  
 
The Importance Of The Leader

In a word, leadership.  The number one factor impacting employee engagement and satisfaction is the immediate leader.  Close to 50% of employees who leave a position or company do so because of their immediate supervisor.  
Connection & Meaning

We know that people are social by nature and that work will form a big part of that.  They are also driven by those things that give them meaning.  If you as a leader don't provide those two things; connection and meaning, then you are already losing the engagement battle.

A leader’s responsibility is to create a team (connection) and then show how what they do contributes to company goals and objectives (meaning).  Let them contribute to improving the work and recognize that contribution and you will have a team of employees that will be engaged at unheard of levels!  

To quote Winston Churchill.  "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."  What you can do to provide connection and meaning are what we will explore next.   Performance Leadership - Think About It!