Building Associate Engagement

The job of the Leader is to get results through people. These days we are constantly being challenged to do more with less. Goals are being set aggressively and often, little or no additional resources are being added to accomplish them. Leaders know that the only way to accomplish these “stretch” goals is to have every associate performing at top capacity every day.

Leaders recognize that associates generally fall into three broad performance categories:

those who constantly go beyond the requirements
those who consistently meet the requirements
those who most often fall below the minimum requirements of the job

Where do we usually focus our performance improvement efforts? Usually the focus is on improving the performance of our weakest associates! That’s important - but - how about the other associates, especially those who are only giving what’s required to meet the minimum expectations every day? Could they do more? Absolutely! And, think of the impact on your organizationi if they did do more!

According to a long-term Gallup study on associate engagement, only about 54 percent of associates in the United States meet minimum expectations, and 17 percent actually fall below. Only 29 percent are engaged and consistently exceed expectations. So, 71 percent of associates in the US either just meet or, fall below minimum expectations. This is a tremendous opportunity for improvement.

The effort required to go beyond the minimum expectations of the job and to achieve higher levels of performance is called discretionary effort, often referred to as engagement.

Discretionary effort is the additional effort expended by associates beyond what they “have to do” to remain employed. What are the characteristics of discretionary effort? Discretionary effort is:

Going beyond what’s required.
The extra an associate chooses to give.
Effort that can’t be forced.
Effort that has no penalty if it isn’t used.
What an associate could do, if he/she wanted to.
The initiative, interest, motivation, dedication, commitment, enthusiasm and loyalty that each associate has the power to use or not.
Here are a few items that lead to discretionary effort:
Trust and integrity – how well leaders communicate and “walk the talk.”
Nature of the job – Is it mentally stimulating day-to-day?
Line of sight between associate performance and company performance – Does the associate understand how their work contributes to the company's performance?
Career growth opportunities –Are there future opportunities for growth?
Pride in the company – How much self-esteem does the associate feel by being associated with the company?
Coworkers/team members – Those we work with significantly influence our level of engagement. Associate development – Is the company making an effort to develop the associate's skills? Relationship with one's manager – Does the associate value his or her relationship with the manager? cellspacing="0" width="100%"
A culture of engagement is created through the leader’s ability to capture not only the heads but the hearts of his/her associates to instill an internal desire and passion for excellence. Engaged associates want their organization to succeed because they feel connected emotionally, socially, and even spiritually to its mission, vision, and purpose.

Creating the right environment requires effective motivation and positive leadership behaviors. Each leader in the organization (executive, manager, or supervisor) must work to create the environment that motivates associates to become internally accountable and increase their discretionary effort.

When associates are engaged they are more than motivated: they’re committed and internally accountable for results. They go beyond the normal performance expectations and exert extra time, effort, and initiative to contribute to business success.

How does a leader get the engagement of individual associates and create a culture of engagement? The Gallup Organization has completed more than 30 years of in-depth behavioral and economic research involving more than 12 million associates. This research has identified several core elements impacting associate engagement that link powerfully to key performance outcomes and shows that these elements best predict associate and workgroup performance. As a leader, making sure these elements are met will go a long way toward helping you create an engagement culture:

The associate's Values and Beliefs - values most likely can't be changed but, beliefs can.
Associate development is encouraged.
Associates have the opportunity to learn & grow.
Associates know their role and expectations.
They receive recognition.
Someone at work cares about the associate as a PERSON.
The associate has a best friend at work.
The asscciate frequently receives feedback about performance.
Associates feel their skills and abilities are being fully used.
Associates believe their opinions count.
They have the tools and materials to do my job.
The company mission shows associates that their job is important.