I believe quite firmly in the power of employee engagement as a driver of organizational success, and I think that leaders inside of the world’s highly successful organizations would agree. Many things separate these high performing organizations from those who may be stuck in the past. When I say past, I specifically mean the old-school style of thinking and behaviors that advocate the “command and control” style of management and I am glad it’s no longer the predominant approach used by leaders today.

What I would now like to draw your attention and focus to is the nature of the jobs we’re asking people to perform — and the real factors that go into employees’ buy-in and satisfaction from the work they are asked to deliver.

Thomas A. Kochan, a professor of industrial relations, work, and employment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management wrote an article in Fortune Magazine titled, “How Corporate America Can Create Better Jobs”. Based on his research, here’s what makes high performing companies and their employees succeed:

• It starts with values. CEOs and other top leaders value people for both their technical skills and their motivation to work together for the mission and goals of the organization.
• These companies adopt business strategies that stress quality, innovation, customer service, and productivity as drivers of profitability as opposed to competing solely on being the lowest-cost and lowest-quality producer.
• They implement employment and labor practices that combine investments in training and development, teamwork, employee engagement in problem-solving and continuous improvement, and promote and sustain a culture of mutual trust and respect for all at the workplace.

I would add one additional critical component to this summary - high-performing organizations that have teams of enthusiastic and engaged employees are making jobs more meaningful by creating “emotional connectedness” for their employees.

What do we mean by creating emotional connectedness? Emotional connectedness occurs when an employee fully understands the value their specific role brings to the organization. Specifically, how they contribute to delivering bottom line results for the organization, no matter how big or small. When employees understand this in conjunction with being “valued” by their respective leader, it is a recipe for sustainable engagement and performance.

What Employees Want from Their Jobs

It’s no secret that employees want to be compensated well and are motivated by meaning and a connection to the work they are delivering. Good employers pay their people well, provide appropriate benefits and do what they can to connect the work with a sense of the value it provides for both the organization and the individual employee. But even with these things, employers are only doing half the work when it comes to giving people the types of jobs that will inspire them to do their best.

The reality is that what employees want the most from their jobs is sound leadership and support from their respective leader. It’s not a lack of pay or even a lack of meaning that drives people away from “bad” jobs; it’s the lack of effective leadership that’s causing them to look elsewhere for employment. Research shows time and time again that the number one reason people leave organizations is a result of their respective "manager".

In a recent study, the number-one job-satisfaction characteristic cited by employees was “respectful treatment of employees." Compensation, benefits and even job security ranked lower on the list, which might be eye-opening for some of you.

Also, consider the recent Gallup poll that found 75% of people who left a job did so because of their bosses and not the position itself. Maybe you've heard the phrase, "people leave their managers, not their jobs." Well, it's absolutely true!

So, we have a situation where companies are learning to provide better jobs for their people (and for the people they want to attract) by offering better-paying, more meaningful work. But if you really want to create the best jobs to attract and retain the best, you’ve got to provide outstanding leadership.

Empower Leaders to Create the Job Experiences Your Employees Want

If you want your organization to thrive in this unpredictable and tumultuous world, you’ve got to think of the jobs you offer as experiences. You must also remember that those experiences that might look good on paper — or in job descriptions — can be tainted by poor leadership. The key is to establish a leadership culture within your organization that inspires people and creates an environment where employee engagement can thrive.

Managers need to feel empowered to inspire their people in ways that go beyond acting as taskmasters to get the job done. They need to feel encouraged to develop healthy coaching relationships where communication continually flows back and forth. And they need to be able to address questions and concerns with empathy and compassion. These are the new-school way of doing things, and it's the way to drive employee engagement to much higher levels. Making jobs more attractive to the best employees means looking beyond the of tasks of work and the environment. It involves establishing a leadership culture that fosters engagement, enthusiasm, and an emotional connection to the business. Are you up to the task?

What Do You Think?

Do you agree that we need to create better jobs if we want to attract and retain the best people? What about the old-school methods and approaches I mentioned — do you feel like there’s still value in them? In what ways have you worked to transform your leadership culture to retain your top talent?

I would love to talk with you about this, so please email me today at joanne.trotta@leadersedgeinc.ca.

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