Can You Feel the Energy?
People often ask me, “How do I know if my employees are engaged?” The easiest way to assess engagement is to pay attention to what it feels like when you walk into your work location.
- Does it feel like something good is about to happen or does it feel like you’re waiting for an axe to fall?
- Is there a pleasant buzz when co-workers are gathered or does it sound like angry bees?
- How are people moving about? If they are hurrying, do they look panicked or do they simply look like the meeting to which they are is important?
What all of the above share in common is that they are reflective of ENERGY! There is light energy and dark energy (okay, maybe I’m watching too many Star Wars movies). Light energy doesn’t necessarily mean fun and games. It means people are deeply engaged in what they are doing. Dark energy, on the other hand is a sign of disengagement.
The stronger the energy, the more intense is the engagement or disengagement.
To be candid, it all starts with you. How is your energy? The world is a mirror; your team is a reflection of you, both dark and light.
Are you dragging yourself into work each day? Are you always waiting for the next shoe to drop, or the next catastrophe? The irony about employee engagement (or lack thereof) is that leaders expect (sometimes demand) that employees be happy at work or excited about a project, despite the fact that they themselves are not!
The Law of Attraction says, “You get more of what you focus on.” Another way to say it is, “You get what you measure.” Are you measuring for light energy or dark energy? Are you noticing when things are going well, or are you perennially focused on what’s wrong?
Unless and until leaders bring the best of themselves to work each day, employee engagement numbers will remain, as they have been for nearly a decade—stagnant.
This isn’t something you work on for the benefit of your team. It isn’t something you work on because it benefits your organization. Figuring out how to get engaged at work fully benefits YOU! Anything beyond that is a bonus.
If you want to know the WHY of employee engagement, it is this: the more engaged you and the members of your team are, the lighter the energy and the better your lives – both at work and at home.
May the Light be with you.
