Simplifying Engagement For You, Once And For All

Estimated reading time: 4-5 minutes

Since my early days in the “people” industry, I’ve always been told that people are complicated. People are infinitely unique, and therefore infinitely complicated, and therefore people problems, their solutions, and interventions must be complicated as well.

I always refused to believe that was true.

Over the years, I’ve been a counsellor on University campuses, a People & Culture consultant, and now in Leadership Development, and have been lucky enough to speak to countless people about “people” problems. Problems I believe boil down to one simple measure:

Building a fulfilled life.

Enjoying our work, managing stress, getting paid what we deserve, finding meaning or purpose in the work we do, feeling acknowledged and recognized at work. Isn’t what we’re chasing the feeling of fulfillment?

You see, building a fulfilled life may not have explicitly been the problem I have been hired to solve, but in one way or another, I’ve always found it going back to fulfillment.

Call it what you want, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion, rewards & benefits. What we are trying to do with any of these “engagement” schemes is help people feel fulfilled at their place of work.

Now, I am not saying that every employer is outwardly committed to making their people feel fulfilled. The motivation for these schemes are rarely out of the goodness of employers’ hearts.

But every employer is well aware of the impact on output: More fulfilled workers, more engaged, productive, loyal, and hard working.

While benefit structure, employer branding, and paying people more can work in keeping people passionate about the work they do, I don’t believe that’s the long term answer. Also, not every company has millions to splash on initiatives to help people feel better.

I believe, as leaders, there are many things that we can do to make our people feel fulfilled and engaged at work. For free.

We just need to understand what the true ingredients of engaged people are, so we don’t need gimmicks, schemes, and fancy strategies to keep people engaged.

To be engaged, we all need to feel like certain needs are met.
1. Innate Value
2. Growth
3. Energized

Within these 3 big conditions, there are sub conditions which everyone needs to feel are met. Here is a breakdown everything that helps make an engaged individual.

1. Innate Value

We want to feel like we are valued, like we matter, and what we do matters.

Valued

My opinions at work are valued. What I think, what I believe, and what I say has value and people actively seek after it.

Appreciated/Recognised

The work that I do does not go unnoticed. I get thanked often and occasionally formally recognised for the work I do.

Belonging

I am accepted and celebrated for who I am. I do not have to try and be somebody else or act in a way that is inauthentic to myself. I am included and feel part of a group bigger than myself.

2. Growth

We need to feel like we are becoming better versions of ourselves, and that the environments that we are in help us (and require us) to become better.

Development

I am being nurtured and supported in my development. I am surrounded by people who want me to improve and take action to help me do so.

Learning

I am being encouraged and supported to consistently learn skills and knowledge that allow me to advance in my career.

Challenge

I find challenge in the work I do. I am consistently pushed into situations that require me to push my comfort zones and learn from them. At the same time, I feel supported to tackle tougher challenges.

3. Energized

We need to feel excited about our life and how we spend our time.

Engaged

My innate value is recognised and I am actively allowed (and encouraged) to utilize my strengths. I get to do what I enjoy and feel that I am good at, people around me leverage my strengths and allow me to create value with them.

Passion

I care about the work I do, the value my work creates for the world, take pride in my output.

Often mistaken, there is a difference between being passionate about the work we do and feeling like it serves a higher purpose. You can be passionate about your work without necessarily believing that your work is “changing the world”.

Commitment

I believe in the goals I am working towards, the goals my organization is working towards, and I am committed to achieving them.

That’s It.

This is an engaged human being. It is that simple.

Nothing more. In fact, it could even be less - as you can see some of them do seem quite similar or heavily connected. I have just found that to provide necessary nuance in different contexts, the separation in all nine is still needed.

Every “people-solution”, HR tactic, or workplace initiative that works would have to successfully fulfill one of these aspects. At the same time, I see so many fun-sounding initiatives that fall flat on their faces - because they don’t successfully provide fulfillment in any of these conditions.

Remember, it is never the tactic that provides the engagement. It is the innate need that the tactic fulfills, that makes people feel engaged.

In my programs, I help leaders develop a deep understanding each of these 9 conditions, and practical strategies that they can use daily to fulfill them.

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help you:

Explore My Relationship Accelerator program for leaders:

→ If you’re still struggling to unlock the potential of your people and would like to make some meaningful change - our relationship accelerator program helps your leaders learn all they need to know about building effective relationships to drive success - in one day. Check it out here.

Or reach out at [email protected]