Posted by & filed under Leadership.

leading with credibility for employee engagementAs a manager, employee engagement should be one of your top priorities. Engaged and passionate employees are more likely to be satisfied with their work and more inclined to stay and grow with the organization. They also help build morale among their co-workers and exemplify the values of your company culture.

Of course you want your employees to be invested in and excited about their work. The question is: do you feel this way about your own work?

Employee engagement does not exist in a vacuum, and how you think, act and communicate has an enormous effect on the people you manage. When you think about how to improve engagement in your organization, leading with credibility is an essential first step. Take a close look at your own habits, ask yourself some tough questions and identify ways you can lead by example.

An Employee Engagement Interview for Yourself

1. Why am I here?

Imagine that you have to explain to someone who has no idea what you do for a living what is unique and exceptional about your organization. What drew you to the job in the first place? What is the company culture like? What are the organization’s values? Do you believe in its mission? How have your attitudes changed and taken shape over time?

2. Why do I like my job?

Think about your job description and your day-to-day activities at work. What are the parts you enjoy the most? What do you excel at? What responsibilities do you want to grow into or take on more often? Getting in touch with what sparks your own passion at work makes leading with credibility much easier.

3. Do I know where we’re headed?

If you are going to engage and lead your employees, you need to know the goals of the organization and be able to communicate them well. What are the short-term and long-term goals? Do you agree with the direction you’re going? What are your questions or concerns? Stay involved in conversations about goals with other leaders and work out possible pitfalls or conflicts before you begin implementing plans. Your personal goal is to whole-heartedly support the road map your organization is following.

4. What do I want to improve?

Think about what processes or policies help your workplace run smoothly. Now think about those that do the opposite. How do these aspects hinder progress or negatively affect employee engagement? How could you make improvements? Leading with credibility sometimes means speaking up with new solutions when you identify a problem.

Be honest with yourself and check in regularly about your own engagement. Your genuine investment in your work and your organization will not go unnoticed by your employees.

Learn more about EDSI’s Leading With Credibility course.

Photo credit

Leave a Reply