Leadership and Employee Engagement

In today’s competitive work environment every organisation needs to understand the job, organisational, and interpersonal factors that hold people back—and what leaders can do about it. Employee engagement can make the difference to productivity, quality and customer satisfaction which differentiates your business from everyone else and enables it become more competitive.

So, which leadership qualities promote engagement?

• Listening. A good leader encourages people to contribute and to question. They do not expect people to follow without question, preferring them  to understand what is expected and how their contribution benefits the whole. 
• Trusting people. A good leader understands how wasteful it is to employ talented and skilled individuals and not to allow them to use those skills and talents. So they trust them to do the job they are paid for. 
• Building a consensus. They are able to create an environment where everyone feels valued and involved. 
• Role model desirable behaviour; leading by example and do not expect anything of others which they are not willing to do themselves. They have to promote an atmosphere of mutual respect and collaboration.
• Understanding the value of learning. Successful organisations need to be constantly developing and growing. Therefore, leaders should promote a culture of learning and development so that personal development, knowledge and skills are kept up to date at all levels in the organisation.
• Leads! Giving clear direction and strategy, not just issuing instructions, orders, or demands

So, although leaders need to have a variety of skills and knowledge, being able to engage with people and enable them to perform at their best is one of the most important. A leader should be a good role model who leads by example and provides a coaching approach to get the best out of people.