Assume Your Team is Engaged…Pay the Price!

Not again! I was just informed of another front-line leader leaving a company. “What happened?” I asked the employee. Here was the answer, “I wanted to grow and was not given the opportunity.” The reason given is all too familiar and unfortunate.  

If you’ve been a small business owner, or senior person in a company, for any length of time, you have likely also felt the pain and weight of a solid leader or team member leaving your employ. 

“Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds.” Proverbs 27:23 NLT

In your gut, you know this did not need to happen. It’s easy to justify the reasons why. No time, too much to do, don't know what to do, how can I afford to do it?  However, if you are honest, you likely know that the real question needed to have been “How can I afford not to?”

I learned the hard way, a long time ago that there are legitimate, healthy reasons for great talent to move on to other work. However, more often than not, it is because the owner or their direct leader did not genuinely remain engaged with the talented team member.

You may not know exactly how to engage your talented team. What you do know is that there must be a better way! Similar to pushing a chain, the volume of wasted time, effort, materials, and relationships is a serious energy drain for you and for them.

What do you do?

Here are 5 impactful questions I learned from my good friends at Juice Inc. Use these to check your team engagement assumptions. Based on global workforce engagement research, these 5 questions will help you attract and keep great talent.

As the leader of my team, do I know if they feel like:

1. Their role is a good fit for them?
2. They are clear on what I expect of them?
3. They are supported by me?
4. They are valued by me?
5. They are inspired?

Ignorance is not bliss, as some would suggest.  It is ignorance. All things being equal, great people on your team will likely move on without your genuine interest and knowledge that they will have opportunities to grow.

As the point leader for your business, Proverbs 27:23 NLT is clear, know the state of your people and pour your heart into caring for them. Not knowing the team’s level of engagement will make this tremendously difficult, even impossible.

Do you know the state of engagement for your team?

Contact us for more information on how to lead and engage your team!