Engaging and mobilizing employees can feel like a daunting challenge. However, we have found that a few simple behaviors can make a huge different to improve engagement.

It is frustrating to have to read minds

For instance, many employees are frustrated because they feel like they have to read their manager’s mind. They don’t know how they are doing and how they can do better. The annual performance review is sometimes their only chance to find out, and that event is so stressful and formal that the environment is not conducive for improvements.

Spans of control contribute to the problem

This situation is not completely the fault of management. In some organizations, spans of control have become so large that managers have to complete another formal performance reviews every three or four days.

The solutions are simpler than you might think

There are many simple strategies to engage and mobilize employees. They cost almost nothing to implement, can be put into place immediately, and have huge impact.

For instance, one opportunity that many leaders have – even at the C-level – is to give more frequent, informal feedback about how each employee is doing. That way, everyone in an organization knows what is expected of them and how they can get better.

The seven questions

There are seven simple questions every leader must answer and communicate to employees. As with advertising, frequency counts. Small, informal conversations about performance go a long way – especially when they include teachable moments about different situations and details. The questions include:

1. What do I expect from you?
   
2. What are you doing well?
   
3. What, if anything, can you be doing better?
   
4. What, if anything, do I want you to do better?
   
5. (If appropriate): What will happen if you improve (e.g., more responsibility, more time with leadership, more desirable assignments)?
   
6. (If appropriate): What will happen if you don’t improve?
   
7. How can I help?
   

While all of these questions are important, the last question is especially important. It shows the employee that the leader cares, and is not merely abdicating responsibility or shifting blame.

For more information about engaging and mobilizing employees, and to take our free self-assessment about how well you are engaging and mobilizing, click here.

Coaching is a solution-focused approach that can be used in a variety of personal and professional contexts. Some of the reasons people comes to coaching for:

Improving health and well-being 
Getting married
Improving work/ life balance
Resolving family issues
Enhancing time management
Improving confidence
Reducing stress

What is your way of handling a conflict between you and your partner or another person (the other).

1. Compromising by finding a middle ground with the other
2. Avoiding by sidestepping, postponing or simply withdrawing from the other.
3. Competing by pursing your own concern at the other expense.
4. Accommodating by neglecting your needs in order to please the other.
5. Collaborating by exploring the disagreement to learn from the other's insights and work on solving the problem and try to avoid future similar conflict.

I would love to know what you do so we can all learn from this.

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