Over the years, I’ve had individual conversations about thousands of employees with leaders around the topics of performance, potential, retention risk, and opportunities for the person to raise their effectiveness. One thing that I have to emphasize beforehand is that the term “well placed”, “core” or “at potential” is not a bad thing. For a team to function, you need to have a solid group of associates who are happy in their jobs and doing exactly what we need them to do to meet our larger shared success.
In our engagement series, we would call these people engaged. They are the backbone of the organization and typically really enjoy their job with not much aspiration to do more. This group could make up as much as 80% of your overall workforce.
Characteristics of an engaged person
Steady. That sums up an engaged associate very well.
- They are focused on their deliverables and areas of responsibility.
- Delivers a good, solid product/solution.
- Carries their load well.
- They are a good partner to others and are willing to help out when asked.
Engaged people are also proud of the work that they do and get personal value from the quality of work that they create. While they may not be motivated to work towards a promotion, they are more open to development going the other way – further and deeper into their expertise. Coach and affirm progress to continue to raise the quality of their skills.
What engaged people do
I love working with a great engaged associate who has a positive attitude. Once trust and empowerment are established, these associates make a great group of people to delegate tasks to.
- They complete their full work requirement and tasks. They get the job done.
- They do their work without complaining or creating drama.
- They step up when needed and asked.
- They typically take few to no shortcuts. Their work is thorough and accurate.
As you delegate to this group, there may be a temptation to “delegate it and forget it,” because they are consistent in their quality and timeliness. Be sure not to leave the follow-up step off of delegation. This gives you a great chance to dial in the details to make things even better and another easy way for you to give the person some encouragement, appreciation, and recognition.
What engaged people achieve
I’ve got a really solidly engaged person on one of my teams that I enjoy working with. She’s not going to take the stage in the meeting, but she will speak up if the topic crosses into her expertise or if she is asked a question. An engaged person achieves a good deal for the team.
- They are very consistent in meeting their goals and do it on time.
- Their work meets the expected standard.
- They are willing to do more or put in extra effort when required to meet a goal.
- They will help solve problems with a group and be a positive contributor.
How engaged people impact others
Engaged people impact their co-workers and the overall associate experience in a positive way.
- They are positive about their work and help others out when they need it.
- They are willing to share information with others.
- They are a solid team member and take care of customer issues.
- They are easy to work with and are often good learners.
Leverage this group to help raise the culture of your team when needed. They also can be a good engine to power change that needs to occur either from the organization or from outside influence. Engaged associates sometimes take a bit of convincing or need a good understanding of the why before they pick and make a change, but once they do, they are usually a good model for others to follow.
Engaged people can have their engagement raised to fully engaged. Spend time getting to know them personally and aligning their personal interests and passion areas with the work that they do. Helping people see the potential that you see in them is incredibly powerful. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen go from engaged to fully engaged and later made a comment like, “I didn’t know I could go this far in my career.” Just because they love their role today doesn’t mean that they won’t be in a place to grow in their career in the future. Take the time to invest in your engaged group and show them love and care.
Make a better tomorrow.
-ZH
