How To Keep A Team Engaged: Your 6 Steps Formula

Starting a business does not have to be a nightmare, here are 6 formulas that will help you keep your team together.

Step 1) Know the person

As leaders, you have the opportunity speak life into your team member by knowing them as a person above all. Be diligent in remembering names, significant events, non-work situations and important interests of your team members.

Step 2) Be real

The buzzword of the day is authenticity. Your team wants to know that the person you project yourself to be is the real you. Being real means your actions and words are aligned with your core values. If you value integrity you will act and speak in a way that demonstrates integrity. This includes admitting mistakes and taking immediate action to correct them.

Step 3) Create a safe environment

Engaged team members know that their managers support them and will have their back when questions or conflicts come up. These team members are confident that they won’t be abandoned to take sole blame for projects that go off course.

When mistakes are made, as they inevitably will, there is an appropriate level of accountability.

Step 4) Be honest

I once managed a mid-level supervisor who was always pressing me to share the “real reason” behind a new initiative. I would explain how this change benefited the team, the customer or the overall business. He rarely believed me. He would look for an angle that would cast him in a negative light and make that the underlying motivation for a change.

Step 5) Communicate frequently and consistently

In my experience a disengaged team will always point to a lack of communication. Frequent and consistent communication contributes to a sense of trust.

For teams going through substantial change communication is like nourishment to the organization. Without it teams struggle. When there is a lack of communication the team members have to fill in the gaps with their own speculation. Inevitably the speculation will be off base; either more doomsday or more rosy than reality.

Step 6) Provide team member ownership

Engaged team members own their work and decisions. This does not “just” happen. It is cultivated by a manager that has coached the team member to know a desired outcome, and then allows the team member to craft the solution to get there.As a manager you get the opportunity to directly influence the engagement level of your team members. This takes intentional, disciplined and focused effort.