A fully engaged workforce is the make or break of great organizational performance. Fully engaged men and women give their company or organization an edge that is nearly indomitable.
Human beings carry the knowledge, or in some cases the suspicion, that their lives have irreducible value. What I mean by “irreducible” is that their value can’t be explained just by the work they do, the things they make, the service they offer, the help they give, or any such human act, work, task, job, or contribution. Human beings are not valuable because of their doings; they are valuable simply because they are. This is why we are called a “human being,” and not a “human doing.”
Human beings who were treated reasonably well in their childhood carry the knowledge that this is true. They know that they are a treasure. They know that the love they were shown wasn’t earned by them; they are loved just because they are.
Human beings who were not treated well in childhood nevertheless still carry the suspicion that they are worthwhile. Even the child who has only heard, “you’re worthless” can’t make peace with the message. This child spends years, if not a lifetime, waging a fierce war against this unacceptable idea. Human beings can no more be taught to placidly accept the idea that they are worthless than a dog can be taught to happily not wag its tail. “Human” and “worthy” coexist as serenely as romance and flowers. “Human” and “worthless” will battle each other to the death.
And what does this have to do with worker engagement? Simply this: The leader who wants sentient, imaginative, creative, hard-working, talented, and generous workers on the team must value them. They must see their people as a treasure, not a tool. They must treat their people, first of all, as people, valued because of who they are, their presence, more than for what they’ll do.
As a leader, there are at least three responsibilities you can adopt to help you flesh out the true meaning of “treat your people as a treasure.”
- Take a true interest in them. As has been humorously observed, “Authenticity is really hard to fake.” Indeed, it is. You have a certain number of direct subordinates; start with them. Learn to know them. Ask them about their lives, their aspirations, their struggles and needs. Make room for a true human connection, and build on it over time.
- Give them increasing responsibility and authority (and teach/coach them to success). Grow your people. The way growth ordinarily progresses on the job is through delegation. Learn to delegate effectively; be thorough, detailed, supportive, and transparent. Yes, you might be able to do it faster yourself than if you must show someone else how to do it, but there’s not enough of you to go around. And besides, the treasure is your people, remember? Invest your time in them!
- Allow (and forgive) mistakes and errors. Build a review process that rewards candor and admission. Make “telling the truth” the attractive and celebrated option. And, use regular team meetings to talk through mistakes, collaborate on solutions, and affirm those who work for you. Make it clear that you are invested in your people’s growth; people can’t grow if there isn’t grace for error.
Highly engaged workers report being loved and feeling loved at work! If you peel this report back one layer, you find these workers have leaders who are taking time to express true interest in them, taking time to effectively delegate new tasks and responsibilities to them (so that their people can make progress at work), and taking time to help them learn from their mistakes (rather than punishing them and driving them into hiding).
Your people are a treasure. The only appropriate treatment of a treasure is to safeguard it, showcase it, and prize it for its great worth.