When it comes to leadership, the words ‘motivation’ and ‘engagement’ are thrown around a lot. But why are they so important?
Vistage speaker, and specialist consultant in leadership and organisational performance, Mark Robb, believes motivation and engagement are crucial to business success. In fact the research data is clear, engagement specifically, is a key differentiator between good organisations and great ones’.
He also explains that leaders play the definitive role. So, how do you motivate and engage your people? Mark’s upcoming Vistage webinar ‘Lead, Motivate and Engage’ has all the answers. We caught up with him to get a flavour of what we can expect on the day...
Why motivation and engagement are vital in business
Engagement is much more than a ‘nice to have’ - in fact, it’s the opposite. While it might sound to some, like a ‘soft’ concept, Mark Robb is quick to explain that employee engagement is actually a technical term and something that is measurable and has a proven effect on key business outcomes.
‘Engagement is a foundational predictor of people’s likelihood to stay in an organisation and give discretionary effort. The output of engagement is an increase in customer satisfaction, a decrease in staff turnover, and an increase in business profit’.
Without optimal engagement your employees will still turn up to work, but, as Mark explains, productivity levels will be significantly lower than in businesses where engagement is optimised:
‘Engagement maximises people’s propensity to give the best version of themselves at work. It creates the antithesis of employees going through the motions or being apathetic’.
The role of the leader
Engagement is in very large part down to leadership - but creating optimal engagement is challenging, with leaders facing numerous barriers. Mark is unequivocal: ‘motivating and engaging staff is the zeitgeist issue in leadership’.
‘Engagement worldwide is not that high’, he explains, ‘the majority sit somewhere in the middle - a kind of neutral. Shaking people out of that neutrality and getting something extra is absolutely in the gift of the leader. The leader is the centrepoint of maximising emotional commitment in the workplace.’
"Achieving maximal employee engagement is not simple."
Of course, as Mark asserts, achieving maximal employee engagement is not simple, which is why his webinar includes no fewer than 28 practical ‘go-dos’, as well as a number of specific strategies to drive employee engagement and overcome barriers.
‘One of the main barriers for leaders’, says Mark, ‘is that they’re trying to do so much. In a busy, challenging landscape, leaders have to prioritise the most important elements.’
Mark’s integrated ‘Success Model’ (revealed in his webinar) helps leaders overcome this particular challenge by allowing them to connect and focus all their business activity.
Most leaders are well versed on the benefits of optimal employee engagement - but engagement isn’t something that just happens. It’s an active process which requires commitment, knowledge and application from you, the leader - and it’s one which can present many problems.
If you’re looking for solutions, don’t miss Mark Robb’s webinar on September 16th. As he says: ’If you’re leading other people, this session is for you. At a very high level, it offers tools, tips and techniques for leaders on how to maximise the emotional commitment of their people’.
Images via Adobe Stock and Pixabay
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