Engagement: A Crucial Component in Cultivating Leadership
April 10, 2024
As a business owner or manager, you understand the impact of dynamic leadership on your
organization's success.
Cultivating such robust leadership starts with a foundational element - engagement.
Effective team leaders substantially impact company culture and have the potential to generate
a significant increase in employee engagement.
Leadership is often more important to your employees and their desire for and commitment to engagement than you may realize. Fine-tuning leadership skills when engagement is front and center can be rewarding.
According to a 2022 updated Gallup post by Jim Harter:
Engaged employees make it a point to show up to work and do more work – highly engaged business units realize an 81% difference in absenteeism and a 14% difference in productivity.
A workforce engaged in the company's mission exhibits higher motivation and is more likely to develop strong leaders. With nearly half of your employees eager to enhance their leadership skills, there is tremendous potential to be harnessed.
This post explores practical ways to nurture leadership qualities by strategically focusing on employee engagement. Doing so will ensure a solid succession of future leaders committed to your organization’s continued growth and innovation.
Create a Company Culture That Resonates.
Develop a distinct company culture rooted in your mission and values by encouraging ownership, celebrating achievements, and promoting inclusivity.
Set Clear Expectations and Goals.
Clearly define what leadership looks like in your organization. Set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals for leaders to strive for.
Encourage and Facilitate Collaborative Efforts.
Nurture a team-oriented environment where collaboration involves completing high-quality projects and bolstering interpersonal relationships, a hallmark of inspired and effective leadership.
Empower with Education and Development.
Invest in your employees' growth with continuous learning opportunities. Businesses spent $357.7 billion worldwide on leadership training in 2020 alone. Workshops, seminars, free training and upskilling classes, and access to online courses allow employees to sharpen their leadership skills and apply new knowledge to their roles.
Encourage and Enable Cross-Departmental Exposure.
Allow employees to work on projects with other departments. This broadens an employee’s understanding of the overall business objectives and helps develop a holistic approach to leadership.
Identify and Reward Leadership Practices.
Publicly acknowledge and reward leadership and engagement. This motivates the individual and sets a standard for the organization's core values.
Recruit with Leadership in Mind.
Select candidates with an organic potential for engagement and leadership. The right team members can drive collective success and are integral to sustaining a competitive edge.
Ready to Elevate Your Team's Leadership?
Leaders who empower their teams to contribute meaningfully are at the heart of every thriving organization.
Are you ready to identify and develop these leaders?
At Surge, we specialize in matching your business with skilled candidates ready to engage and lead. Further, we offer our temporary employees a full range of free leadership-focused skills training courses, including:
- Effective Listening
- Become an Effective Leader
- Leadership and Management
Let us help you build a future where your business and people grow together.
Contact us to learn about our available candidates in your area.
- https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236366/right-culture-not-employee-satisfaction.aspx
- https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236927/employee-engagement-drives-growth.aspx
- https://www.apollotechnical.com/leadership-statistics/
Additional Resources
- https://www.harvardbusiness.org/frontline-leaders-are-hungry-for-development-can- organizations- deliver/#:~:text=The%20workforce%20is%20motivated%20to,their%20leadership%20skills%20t his%20year.
- https://hbr.org/2004/12/the-things-they-do-for-love
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/07/24/how-leaders-impact-employee- engagement/?sh=6e0cd1113540