Are you holding on too tightly?

As author and researcher Brene Brown writes in her book Dare to Lead, a leader is:

“anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential.”
 
So being an A.U.T.H.E.N.T.I.C. leader demands that we look beyond our own needs and focus on those of our team members so that we Engage and Empower them to develop their potential, which is the E of my blog series.

A = Awareness & Acceptance
U = Unique
T = Transformation
H = Head & Heart
E = Engage & Empower
N = North Star
T = Trust
I = Influence & Impact
C = Compassion, Courage & Curiosity

Engagement

One of our most fundamental needs as human beings is connection with one another and a feeling that we belong to “the tribe”. Key to this is treating people as a “whole” person, allowing them to bring their true self to the workplace.

This is a huge shift from just a couple of decades ago when you were expected to turn up at an office, wearing not only the corporate dark suit but also the corporate mask. Emotions were to be checked at the door, along with any stories of personal trials and tribulations. We were taught to compartmentalise our lives.

Well, life has changed, and there is a growing realisation that if we want access to the whole talent pool and for those people to do their best work then we need to engage with the whole human being who walks through the door not just the cookie cutter corporate persona.
Engagement has been defined in leadership literature as the willingness to expend additional effort to get a job done. Research has shown time and again that an engaged workforce is more energised, resulting in improved productivity and profitability and more successful than those who are not.

So how to increase engagement?

• Connection: Let’s start with building relationships with the human being behind the title, take an interest in their lives, celebrate the milestones of their lives, demonstrate compassion when they are struggling. Building your sense of empathy will enable you to do this in a genuine way.
• Gratitude: Everyone wants to feel seen and appreciated so initiating a culture of gratitude builds people up. This is not about a glib surface level “thank you”, this is about paying attention to the work those around you are doing and acknowledging when they are doing something well. This is a shift away from the old school view that there is no need to thank because “it’s their job” and it is great to encourage team members to recognise each other’s contributions and be really specific about what they are grateful for.
• Purpose: Identifying the purpose of the business (or team) and the core values which support that allow you to build a culture focused on all working towards the same goals. People want to leave work feeling the sense of fulfilment that they worked towards something meaningful. Daniel Pink’s work on motivation demonstrated that purpose is one of the most powerful motivators there is.
• Communication: Once you have identified the purpose of your organisation or team then it is important to keep talking about it, and living true to its values. It is also important to communicate as openly with staff as possible on all aspects of company performance as uncertainty breeds insecurity and disengagement. Harvard did a study on the efficacy of check-ins with managers and found that it didn’t matter what the content of the check-in was, the mere fact of having a regular check-in increased performance.
• Strengths: Research by Gallup has repeatedly shown that when people use their strengths and have an opportunity to do what they do best then they are six times more likely to be engaged in their jobs. This is an area in which I particularly enjoy working with people as they discover not only what their strengths are but also how to use them optimally and draw on them when they need them.

  
And if our people are engaged how can we Empower them to grow and do their best work?

Empowerment

Daniel Pink’s work on motivation demonstrated very clearly that there are limitations on using extrinsic motivators such as bonuses and benefits to engage and empower people, and we need to get to know the individual to really understand their intrinsic motivators. He identified 3 key intrinsic motivators being Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. I have outlined purpose above as part of engagement, and the other two really create the space for empowerment:

• Autonomy: As leaders we need to know when to let go, when to set the direction and then let people determine the best way to get there. This means trusting them and allowing them to make decisions about how they do their work. Providing a safe space to make mistakes and learn from them is part of this. Do you like being told what to do all the time? Probably not, and nor do your team members! When they have a strong sense of purpose it is easier to ensure everyone is heading towards the same goals without being so prescriptive.
• Mastery: Everyone likes to get better at what they do so how can you support people to build their skills, and develop their mastery of the things which are important to them? This ties back in with recognising their strengths and enabling them to utilise those strengths more frequently.

​What are you doing to engage the people around you? And are you empowering them or are you holding on so tightly to the reins that they don't have a chance to explore their own creativity and build their own strengths? Letting go of control can be one of the hardest things we have to do as leaders!

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