From Job Descriptions to Job Satisfaction- A Practical Approach to Employee Engagement

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Exercise in Employee Engagement and Motivation 

Question: Which of the following is the fundamental element for employee engagement and motivation?

  1. Creating a work climate that values and appreciates employees. 
  1. Having a supportive leader, you can trust as your boss. 
  1. Having team members, you consider as friends. 
  1. Having work that you enjoy and are good at. 

At the core of engagement with your job, it is essential that you like what you do and are good at it. So, the right answer is D. Of course, you may not enjoy everything that needs to be done, but you should enjoy and be skilled at the most important tasks of the job. This is where you should be spending the most time as well.  

Here is an exercise you can do with your employees or even yourself. It is designed to gain clarify and insight as to what is engaging and motivational for employees. It can lead to planning what to delegate and provide a platform for discussion.  

You can do this using the job description or the custom form I created that you can download for free. You can also use a blank piece of paper and write down in point form each task the employee does. Make three columns, one for level of importance, one for the task, and the other for the level of engagement or enjoyment.  

Go through the list yourself first to note down what you consider the level of importance for each task. Using a 2nd copy of this without showing the employee your rating for the levels of importance, have the employee score their level of  enjoyment for each task on a scale of 1-5, 5 being highest. You can also add an additional column to add the performance rating of the employee so you can make a cross reference to the levels of importance, the employee enjoyment and your performance rating. Do the performance rating on your own before the employee submits their response to the levels of enjoyment to not influence each other.  

Warning: There must be a high level of trust between you and your employee, or they may not be honest with their scores.

Alternatively, you can have them complete this on their own and then meet after to discuss it.  

After completing the exercise, here are some questions to answer to plan what to do with your findings. 

What tasks are highly important and the employee enjoys and is skilled at?  

What additional tasks can you assign or delegate to further engage the employee? 

What ongoing training would be beneficial to growing the employee’s competency for the highly enjoyable tasks? 

What does the employee enjoy the least? 

Can you assign those tasks to someone else? 

How important are those tasks and can they be eliminated or outsourced? 

What actions can you take to further the engagement and performance of the employee? 

It is important to take at least one action based on the results of this exercise and see what you can do to increase employee engagement and job performance. 

Empower Your Team to Reach their Full Potential: Explore the Benefits of a Coaching Leadership Style

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Today’s corporate environment is undergoing fast change, and leaders must inspire and motivate their staff to thrive. Coaching is one type of leadership that is growing in popularity. A coaching style of leadership is focused on empowering employees to take ownership of their work, make decisions, and develop their skills to reach their full potential.  

In this article, we’ll explore whether a coaching style of leadership is right for your organization. 

What is a Coaching Style of Leadership? 

A coaching style of leadership is one that prioritizes empowering employees to take ownership of their work and make decisions. This management style is centered on enhancing the capabilities of people, giving them more autonomy and decision-making power, and creating a culture of trust. 

Benefits of a Coaching Style of Leadership 

Improved Employee Engagement: Employees become more engaged and driven when they feel empowered to take responsibility for their job. They take pride in their work and are more motivated to succeed because of it.  

Improved Performance: Coaching helps employees develop their skills, which leads to improved performance. When employees feel that they have the tools they need to succeed, they are more likely to achieve their goals. 

Better Decision-Making: Coaching empowers employees to make decisions, which can result in quicker and better decision-making. Organizations may be able to respond to opportunities and challenges more swiftly in this way. 

Building Trust: Coaching helps build trust between employees and their leaders. A culture of mutual respect and trust is established when managers offer their staff members the freedom to make decisions. 

Increased Employee Retention: Employees who receive coaching feel more appreciated and supported, which can boost their loyalty and retention. 

Is Coaching Style of Leadership Right for Your Organization? 

Now that we’ve explored the benefits of coaching style of leadership, let’s discuss whether it is right for your organization.  

The truth is that every organization is different, and what works for one may not work for another.  

Here are some factors to consider: 

Company Size: A coaching style of leadership may be easier to implement in medium to large organizations where managers have more time to devote to meeting with employees to conduct coaching sessions. In many smaller companies managers do not have as much time to meet with employees or may not have proper training on a coaching style of leadership.  

Organizational Culture: If your organization has a long-standing culture of top-down decision making, it may take more effort to shift towards a coaching style of leadership. However, it is possible with the right mindset and commitment. 

Employee Mindset: The coaching style of leadership requires employees to be willing to take ownership of their work and make decisions. If employees are not comfortable with this level of autonomy, it may not be the best fit. 

Time and Resources: Implementing a coaching style of leadership requires time and resources. Leaders must be willing to invest in training and development for themselves and their employees. 

Final Thoughts 

An organization can gain a lot from a coaching style of leadership, including better decision-making, greater performance, and more employee engagement. However, it may not be the right fit for every organization.  

Leaders must consider their company size, organizational culture, employee mindset, and the time and resources required to implement a coaching style of leadership. With the right mindset and commitment, leaders can build a culture of trust, empowerment, and success with a coaching style of leadership. 

Importance of Empowerment – Lesson from the War of Ukraine

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I just watched a CBC news segment on the war in Ukraine. February 24 marked one year since Russia invaded Ukraine, yet the success of the Ukraine Army in defending itself is remarkable.  

In the video, two Canadian military officers were interviewed; the second officer went into detail about Canada’s involvement seven years prior.  

Canada worked to strengthen Ukraine’s self-defense by providing training to their armed forces. Aside from gaining new skills, what this training also included was leaders learning to empower soldiers on the battlefield to make their own decisions—which proved immensely beneficial.  

In contrast, Russian soldiers needed approval from higher-ups before making decisions, which caused heavy casualties and disarray among troops.  

As we saw in the results of the war, giving frontline troops this sort of autonomy through proper training was a key factor in Ukraine’s defense.  

This same concept can be used within corporate environments: offering proper training and making sure employees feel empowered to make meaningful decisions will yield positive results.  

To ensure that front line workers understand on what to base decisions, leaders can use survey tools to identify discrepancies between management expectations and employee perceptions—this will open opportunities for more effective training which can clarify roles and responsibilities while offering guidance on decision-making authority. 

By clarifying performance expectations and ongoing training, leaders can confidently give up the power of decision making, a shift in thinking required by the Canadian Forces when they trained the Ukrainian army. 

Previously, the Ukrainian top brass’s approach was ‘top-down leadership, which they had learned from the Russians, whereas now they had to learn how to empower troops at the frontline. Giving up decision-making power does not make one weaker; instead, it builds trust and strengthens one’s role as a leader. Furthermore, it frees up time for strategic thinking.  

This is a good example of how leadership transformation through training and coaching can produce extraordinary results that surpass everyone’s expectations.   

Congratulations are due to Canada and the Ukrainian army for this successful collaboration. 

What Lesson in Leadership Can You Learn from an Apple Watch? 

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I recently got an Apple Watch mainly for fitness and health reasons. It asked me to set fitness goals and it tracks progress toward these objectives. 

It’s really working well. I like the reminders it gives me and what stands out is when I reach a goal, whether it be to stand up so many times in a day or to exercise, it sends me congratulations. It tells me, “Great job!” and even though it’s just an electronic device, it feels good to get that kind of feedback and know that you’re achieving your goals. 

But it made me think of the workplace and the importance of leadership and giving feedback and recognition. 

As a leader, giving feedback to employees is important for several reasons: 

  1. Improving Performance: Feedback helps employees understand where they are excelling and where they need to improve. This can help them adjust their work habits, increase productivity, and ultimately improve their overall performance. 
    1. Building Relationships: Feedback provides an opportunity for leaders to build relationships with their employees. By providing positive feedback, leaders can show their employees that they value their contributions and appreciate their hard work. Constructive feedback, delivered in a supportive way, can also help employees feel heard and valued. 
    1. Increasing Motivation: Feedback can be a powerful motivator. When employees receive positive feedback, they are more likely to feel motivated and continue to work hard. Constructive feedback can also be motivating, as it shows employees that their leader is invested in their success and wants to help them improve. 
    1. Identifying Areas for Development: Feedback can help leaders identify areas where their employees need further training or development. This can help leaders create development plans for their employees that address specific areas of need and 0help them grow professionally. 

    Giving feedback and recognition are two powerful things that every leader can and should do to profit from the benefits listed above. Yet many leaders have difficulty putting this simple behavior into practice.  

    An Apple Watch comes with the programming built in to set goals and send reminders. Leaders and managers need to program themselves to make giving feedback and recognition a habit. So, it takes conscious effort and repetition just like forming any new habit.  

    For some people, giving feedback and recognition is an easier habit to develop. This is true for relationship-oriented types and harder for intellectual or physical types.

    What triggers do you need to implement to remind yourself to give feedback and praise? 

    Start by setting a goal and work out what obstacles can stand in your way. Use my goal planning worksheet for this.  

    Next keep a performance log to note down feedback opportunities and reasons for praise. I also have a form for this. 

    As part of your goal planning, you should look for opportunities daily to give feedback and recognition. You want to reinforce what people are doing well and where they need improvement.  

    Becoming an effective leader takes work and you need to know which skill to work on. That is why a 360-leadership assessment like the Checkpoint is a great tool to bring awareness to where improvement is needed. A 360-degree leadership assessment compares the leader’s self-perception of his/her leadership skills with those of his direct reports, peers, and his/her boss.  

    Combining the 360-leadership feedback with a psychometric assessment like the PXT Select provides deeper insight into the causes of certain leadership behaviors. 

    Combing these tools with coaching from a skilled facilitator is key to personal development and new habit formation.  

    Overall, feedback is an essential tool for leaders to help their employees succeed and develop professionally. By providing feedback regularly and constructively, leaders can build strong relationships with their employees, increase motivation, and improve overall performance.