Employee Engagement: Is Isolation Plaguing Your Organization?
We have these conversations with top leaders across the country often…
Our team is overwhelmed. Mental health challenges are constant.
Our team feels isolated and unsupported now more now than ever.
Our team has less work to do and is less productive.
Our team doesn't feel connected to what's happening in the rest of the organization.
Can you relate?
Leaders - these challenges keep creeping up and you keep working diligently to address them. It's been incredible to see and hear how you continue to try and support your team while growing the business and taking care of your clients, patients, vendors, and/or customers.
While we are all working hard to solve the isolation problem I think we have only been scratching at the surface and we can’t afford to allow this problem to keep permeating through our organizations.
Scratching the surface doesn’t solve the problem. It's like when companies tried to fix company culture with bean bag chairs, ping-pong tables, and kegs of beer. Yes - most people appreciated two out of three of those. However, all people appreciate feeling valued, heard, empowered and supported. How are you doing that for your team?
Scratching the surface doesn’t solve the problem. It's like the couple who is in constant marriage trouble. To try and solve the problem, they escape reality and go on a great vacation or buy the car they always wanted. It's great for a few weeks, but then reality sets in. The actual problems weren't solved and the dysfunction continues. (If this is you, sign up for the Life At Home Event!)
Scratching the surface doesn’t solve the problem. Weekly toasts and virtual coffee breaks are valuable and helpful. However, they do not solve the isolation problem plaguing your organization.
People want to feel valued, heard, empowered and supported. People make it hard though. When we don't feel those things, we often make it difficult for others to provide them. We put our walls up… we make excuses… we get "busy". In the meantime, attitudes diminish along with the quality of our work and a culture of ownership, accountability, and excellence.
So what options do we have? Here are a few ideas on how to begin to solve the Isolation problem.
Clear Communication (Two-Way)
No one ever loved playing walkie-talkies with a kid who held the button down the whole time. If we can't dialogue, it's not engaging.
Here's what I'm saying: Communicate as much as you can to your organization as a fast as you can. Then, host a virtual coffee break to dialogue what you communicated. Facilitate conversation (real conversation) about the direction of the company, the values being lived out, the vision for the next year, etc... As well as the fear, questions, and doubts team members might have. Make sure to ask for feedback from your team. They may have great ideas or advice on how to bridge any communication gaps.
Clear Expectations
Take a minute to review and possibly reset job descriptions and roles with your team members. As teams grow and projects shift, it's amazing to see how many great team members take on more than they should. At first it was helpful, but then it becomes detrimental to them and the team. With clear expectations, you can more effectively and authentically support your team.
Clear Check-In Process
Remember: People want to feel valued, heard, empowered and supported. Providing clear and consistent check-ins creates a systemized process for you to lead and your teams to know you are supporting them. This is a priority. How do you solve the isolation problem plaguing your organization? Stop allowing isolation to occur in your organization. Be courageous and lead forward. Do not let fear, insecurity and uncomfortability (new word) win out over good leadership.
201° Performance Management Training
One of the most helpful tools we have been providing our clients has been the 201° Performance Management Training. The system provides the backdrop needed for leaders to move forward and employees to lead up while feeling supported. We see trust returning, productivity increasing and isolation diminishing.
I'm not saying the solution is simple. Mental health, emotional health, physical health - all of these things take time to overcome. However, time itself does not solve the problem. It's like physical health. If you never eat healthy or exercise, you won't get healthy. It's the consistency over time that makes all the difference.
It's the consistency of your leadership, the health of your leadership over time that can make significant impacts on your team and organization.
Reach out if you are ready to solve the isolation problem and improve the accountability and ownership challenges that so many are facing right now. We will walk you through it, so you can lead forward.
