Is it really that hard to build an engaged team?

2nd April 2019

I was watching a short video by the brilliant Simon Sinek who as usual was talking about how important it is for people to love their work….and that whilst it might seem like a luxury, it really should be a must have for all of us! He says that we should all feel that we’re working somewhere that “views and treats us as human beings.”

That doesn’t sound too much to ask for does it?

Is it really that hard to build an engaged team? As a junior manager said on a program last week; “it doesn’t take much and it’s not exactly rocket science is it?” How right he was and yet, with so many of the great and the good talking about it….building engagement in teams still feels like the holy grail of current leadership practice.

So, what would viewing and treating people as human beings actually involve do you think?

Here’s a few thoughts;

  • Hear me and value what I bring– take a few minutes to check in with folks and listen to what they have to say. Jordan Peterson, in his book “12 rules for life” suggests listening with the assumption that the other might know something that you don’t (rule 9 FYI). Great advice I’d say.
  • Notice me– sounds obvious but do we really take the time to notice people, and what’s happening for them? On a workshop I was running last week, one team member left after only a couple of minutes and no-one noticed!! Does that happen in your team?
  • Care for my well-being– do you REALLY care for the people that you work with? Are you concerned about their physical and mental wellbeing? Could you do more to show that you are interested in them, beyond what they do in their role? Do you ever ask what more you could do to help them? What do they need to feel better?

If, as all the evidence suggests, engagement is so important for the performance of your team and business, isn’t it about time that we took steps to treat people as people?

The trouble is, if you get stuck in the day to day running of your team or business you’ve probably already lost contact with your humans. For me this is a great example of being strategic about where you spend your time!

Investing a few precious minutes with your humans, could make all the difference to both THEM and your business.

How are the humans in your team or business??