What Factors Provide Engagement for Leaders

[marc]

With so much focus on the factors that engage employees..What are the factors that provide engagement for a leader?

What role does an employee have in engaging their leader or manager
What role does a team have in engaging a leader or manager
What role do senior managers have in creating a culture that engages leaders?

Marc Michaelson
Partner
The Glowan Consulting Group
www. glowan.com

[Ben Simonton]

Good questions, Marc.

Since leaders are people, the factors which cause them to be engaged are the same as for the troops. Fully meeting their most basic needs of being heard and being respected in every possible way will cause them to develop a strong sense of ownership and thus be engaged 100%. The less these needs are met, the lower their level of engagement.

Best regards, Ben
http://www.bensimonton.com/articles.html

[marc]

Ben, thanks for this...I agree with your premise totally. Cascading engagement throughout and organization requires consistency in the culture. What I am interested in looking at more closely is how a leaders direct reports might take more responsibility for engaging their leader or manager --a more proactive personal practice

Marc

[Ben Simonton]

Thanks for the comment, Marc.

I specifically did not comment on how a leader's direct reports might take more responsibility for engaging their leader. I consider that to be an exercise in futility and one that can only have negative consequences for the junior.

Taking responsibility for something over which you have absolutely no control is a very big error. The Serenity Prayer makes clear how one should act in such matters. The best any junior can hope for is that by performing magnificently, the junior can set an example the boss might try to emulate. But take responsibility? No way. In 30+ years of managing people, I have witnessed many juniors who tried to change their boss. The results were never good, often quite disastrous for the junior.

Best regards, Ben

[Craig Althof]

Ben & Marc

I've never met a manager who cannot be manipulated impacted. Sorry, couldn't resist.

The Serenity Prayer is appropriate possibly for some, but I'd rather lean on circles of influence. We can all impact others around us, the degree of impact being determined mostly by proximity, credibility of the impacter, and willingness of the leader to listen to others. The latter is a key element in the definition of leadership.

Above all, to have a shot at enhancing a leader's engagement, there must be a relationship. Also, I need a good grasp of my leader's drivers / motivators. Not just business priorities-that's only part of the equation. What really makes Mr / Ms Kahuna tick?

The more I know about my leader, the more I can tweak my approach. Knowledge is most definitely power.

I guess that does sound rather manipulative, after all. This is an extremely interesting question, Marc-deserves insightful conversation!

Craig
In Pursuit of Excellence

[marc]

Craig, thanks for you thoughtful response! Collaborative leadership between a leader/manager and their team requires a two way street of engagement to cultivate what I refer to as Collaborative Advantage. With knowledge workers in particular, a sense of shared leadership is required to capture their interest and engagement...with that said, some effort on their part to engage their leader will in the end create a good partnership...

Marc

[Ben Simonton]

Marc,

I agree that it requires a two way street, as you say. However, the manager is the one who controls whether or not the street even exists and the extent to which it exists. The manager controls this by the way he/she treats subordinates and the extent to which he/she meets the needs of subordinates. The most basic of these are the need to be heard and the need to be respected. Listening carefully and responding respectfully to what subordinates say they need to do a better job is the most important action a boss can take, but there are others.

My point is that it all starts with the boss and what the boss does, not what the junior does.

Best regards, Ben

[marc]

Ben, agreed...in most cases the boss does "control" the street...and in more collaborative, knowledge worker environments some of this is changing. The "boss" (if they are smart) facilitates more that dictates, and team members have the opportunity to "influence" the leadership culture in ways that bring about decision making, innovation and change that is "owned" by everyone...which is a high form of engagement

Marc