A blog about leadership: Does everyone on your team have to be committed?

Who would like to have committed employees?

Let me start with what an employee really is. An employee comes into the world alone. Being born into a family. Coming to school. Learns to get along with others and learns a variety of necessities of life. Then a workplace comes out of the horizon. The employee shows up, is offered a salary, some terms and some benefits.

On the first day, the employee is introduced to the other employees. All of a sudden, the employee is no longer alone, but has become part of a team. The old employees greet the new employee. And the manager says some kind words.

From being alone in the world to becoming a team player

All the employees who started 'alone' must now work together as a team. They must want to show up. They must want to be together. They must believe that what they do is useful. They must have a willingness to provide and to help each other. They must be appreciative.

Commitment

There are several things that must be present for all employees to be engaged (which means interested and committed in the work and the tasks). If employees are not interested and committed, then they are uninvolved. And this means that employees receive wages and benefits and at the same time perform their work without interest and obligation.

The good news

Some managers and employees have the erroneous perception that it is up to the employee himself to motivate himself. The salary, the delicious office, the work itself, the colleagues and then one's own positive attitude solves the whole motivational task. But no. That's not the case at all. It is the manager who must ensure that all employees are engaged from task to task, from case to case, from project to project, from day to day. How does the leader do it?

The slightly better news

The manager must be able to motivate the employees to get involved. It is the leader who must stand up and be the motivating leader. It is the manager who knows in which direction the business is going. Where and when the systems need to be optimized. What the employee group should look like. It is the leader who must stand up and ensure that the commitment is present at all times. The manager has the right to manage. And the leader has a duty to motivate.

Good old Gallup knows the number

One in five of your employees knows what is expected of them. They have the tools and systems needed to do their job. They very often receive recognition for the work done. They can feel that someone cares about them. They are encouraged to develop. Their opinions matter. They experience that their colleagues are committed to performing quality. Gallup has examined the commitment in 140 countries. The companies that can present high engagement numbers also have higher productivity, better earnings, greater customer satisfaction, less sick leave and fewer accidents at work. See more info in State of the Global Workplace Report.

Summa summarum

Disengagement is not the employee's fault. Disengagement is not the team's fault either. Disengagement simply occurs when the manager does not motivate the employees to get involved - because the manager only does some isolated things, which in itself is not motivation. These isolated things can be completely correct, but stand alone and are thus ineffective.

Written by Michael Meinhardt, LEADERS WAREHOUSE.