How do you improve team engagement and satisfaction?

I like the goal of an engaged and satisfied team - in most cases they both come hand in hand. I like the steps listed - the sequence depends on each leader and the nature of business. The concept of empowerment which is the ultimate step towards a satisfied and engaged team is a result of a lot of background work. Empowerment requires extremely well thought systems, a lot of training and clarity on job description and company goal and the role each member plays in achieving that goal. Without these guard rails empowerment actually results in abdication and can harm the organization. Everyone like to achieve and win - those micro goals need to be defined and celebrated then empowerment results in engaged and satisfied teams.

I agree with you. To improve team engagement and satisfaction, fostering open communication and a positive work culture is crucial. Encourage regular team meetings where everyone can share ideas and concerns freely. Offer opportunities for skill development and growth to empower team members. Recognize and appreciate their efforts and achievements to boost morale. Ensure a healthy work-life balance and show genuine interest in their well-being. Create a supportive environment that values diversity and promotes collaboration.

It's important to understand your team, but it's even more important to understand yourself. Leaders who don't understand their own strengths and weaknesses are a liability to the team. Leadership can make the difference between success and failure on a team.

A few things that I have learned is to treat them as adults, respect their skillset, ask questions about themselves. Make them feel comfortable, as team leaders we depend upon our team to be successful. Allow the team members to have a voice and encourage new ideas. Allow them to fail but also learn. Most importantly appreciate the team and never take for granted. A simple please and thank you goes a long way.

Critical to creating and retaining a high-performance team is a high degree of trust between team members as well as support from management to facilitate an environment that accommodates the needs of each individual employee. For example, employees with young children might need more flexibility with hybrid work models and not providing this as an option can lead to breakdowns in workflow which can damage the productivity and trust between team members. To retain high performance teams, management also needs to recognize top performers and compensate them accordingly. The loss of critical team members can damage the business as a whole if fair compensation is not in line with current market conditions.

A strong vision goes a long way. Don't over think it. Too many leaders think they have to give their teams the path before they give them the destination. Really though, people will blaze a trail if they can see the destination and feel like it's worth it.

In my experience the above two steps are fabulous. Despite the few non-believers ; all of this gets many in the team to get involved and test the new tools and ideas available… However for it to be sustainable and weather the storms when things don’t go according to plan in facing VUCA situations ; it is imperative for the leader to have some awareness of presence and connected to their own inner strengths and personal values, where the behavior demonstrated matches and is aligned to the nice process and words…. It’s important it is an emotionally safe environment as well team members can lean into those with strong emotional support skills, values such as respect and dignity is upheld even during the necessary difficult conversations.

Understanding the why and promoting the one goal one team motto, but as leader you must be passionate and believe in your team. To be successful you need to bring the team together along the journey. The team must understand the why but also see an achievable vision. The key message is everyone participation just important as each others. No I in Team

This is key! If a team doesn't understand an organization's vision, mission, and values, they don't know how to align. It is also critical that you reward off of these principles. The more that you embrace these, the more everyone can get behind the purpose and contribute to the goals of the organization.

As everyone has a different perspective and thats why it is very essential to have regular brainstorming and objective discussion sessions with the team members to align on the various goals of a project. Dynamic engagement like hot chats can also help to align a team on a common objective.

Ask the team - their opinion first. Go around the room. YOU then build/grow the plan. You’re the last one to talk. Thanks - Sheila

Empower your team to support eachother. So many brilliant initiatives fail because of an over-reliance on leaders to coordinate and maximize synergy. If the people on your team feel empowered to collaborate and hash things out, they'll be invested in the work and squash problems before they start.

Empowering (and let’s reinforce that is also clearly TRUSTING) your team is one of the most important ways to motivate and retain a team - while also growing and developing their skills to get the VERY BEST out of them going forward. This is because the permission to learn by TRYING, DOING, and occasionally FAILING is one of the GREATEST gifts you can give your employer and your function as an incubator of top talent and bolder ideas. The end result is better information, more wisdom, more courage to try BIGGER BOLDER ideas, and more homegrown leaders that shine bright for the company - and this means you serve the greater organization’s goals while also keeping team morale high.

Empower your team but don't abdicate your leadership role. Even the most highly functioning teams benefit from great leadership. Every team can get off track, keep the vision clear.

I believe that you can achieve and build a life that you can be so proud of. Empowering a person is a decision, believing in a person is a decision. With that decision we can build a strong relationship and build trust with that person. From building that trust and relationship, the person can then go on and do the same by empowering others.

Idling is the worst thing possible for ambitious colleagues. Challenge them with stretch goals - this will push them outside their comfort zone. This is where they will learn new skills and be more creative. The difficulty in achievement will result in more incredible pride in their work. You have to be there to support, enable, and cheer the team toward achieving excellent results.

It's counterintuitive, but people love to find out when they're messing up. But, these 3 things must be true: 1) Don't make the failure feel heavy or personal, 2) provide actionable feedback on how they can improve, and 3) when they do something awesome, make sure they know.

Challenge your team to focus on competency development 20% of the time. Competency development will help them mange processes, policies and things better. Help your team to develop their competency too. Challenge your team to focus on character development 80% of the time. Character development will help you to lead your team a lot better. Help your team to develop into leaders themselves.

One way to challenge the team, depending on the company and what the team works on, is to give them problems to solve. And to follow up on how their solutions may be implemented and make a change.

Empowerment through challenge is the key to unlocking your team's full potential. Provide opportunities, feedback, and growth, and watch them thrive!

Trust and fostering a culture of openness and transparency are critical. With a supportive environment, empathy, and the team feeling appreciated, this will go far for building engagement.

Having empathy is seeking out opportunities to help others. Think of yourself less, and think of others more. If there is one thing that I have learned over the years when I want to help a person, in any capacity, it is to “Have Empathy.” What does that mean? It means to seek out opportunities to help others. How do you do that? Well, you think more about others than you think about yourself. That doesn’t mean to put yourself down, or think of less of yourself. It means to think about yourself less, but still love yourself. When I say love yourself, I don’t mean that in a cocky or arrogant way. I mean value and respect yourself.

Pay them. Compensate them as well as you can monetarily, emotionally, and verbally, unless they’ve given you reason not to. A principal-level total comp package alone with no interpersonal buy-in motivates well off the clock for quality of life improvement, but does little for the 9-5. Similarly, a thoroughly engaging and positive work environment shines during the day but, contrary to the managerial surmises, doesn’t pay the bills. People need money, and more of it in this day and age. People also need honest emotional engagement that isn’t wrapped in corporate virtue signaling or ten-cent MBA buzzwords.

Building a culture of trust through use of empathy, respect and care. I have found by recognizing and respecting your teams personal needs will respect for the leader. The respect built through empathetic leadership will lead to more collaboration of the entire team when needed.

Take the time to say 'Thank You!' to team members so they understand that every contribution is important and remember to celebrate team achievements! Both of these actions make the team feel appreciated, valued and energized.

You don't have to be an vocal extrovert to inspire others. Integrity, empathy, authenticity, and a bias towards action are the keys to inspiring others. Lean into your passions and you'll attract and inspire people who share your vision.

Inspiring your team is crucial for several reasons: Motivation: It boosts morale and motivates individuals to perform at their best. Engagement: Inspired team members are more engaged and committed to their work. Innovation: It encourages creative thinking and problem-solving. Resilience: Inspired teams are more resilient in the face of challenges. To achieve this, lead by example, communicate a compelling vision, provide support and recognition, encourage personal and professional growth, and foster a positive work environment that values diversity and inclusion.

I am always most inspired by leaders that walk-the-talk and role-model positive values to their teams. Whether its being "real" and transparent with communication, not sending emails over the weekend, logging off at a reasonable hour each day, taking vacation time, or even doing walking-meetings, the team needs to see the leader doing these things to feel good about doing it themselves.

By being the best that you can be provides inspiration as leader ensuring you display all the qualities that you expect your team to display, honesty, integrity, collaboration, teamwork, empathy, good manners and respect this all begins at the top. Don’t talk about simply do it no words need to be spoken.

Setting clear standards for your team is like giving them a roadmap they need. It helps everyone know what's expected, motivates them to do their best, and creates a positive and united work environment. When you set high standards, you inspire your team to achieve great things together.

Balancing what could be and who is bringing us there is key -As a leader give yourself permission to be lead by others -Be comforted in being uncomfortable: leadership is a balancing act

I believe this can even be simplified. There are four areas that all leaders and managers should ensure they implement and foster within their teams. 1. Expectations 2. Communication 3. Mentorship 4. Recognition As a leader, they will empower you to build up your team, manage effectively, increase productivity, and create an environment that everyone thrives in.

A leader must champion this by always talking about how we achieve success and constantly learn through challenges together. This has to be done in team meetings, individual meetings, and at all times.

Improving team engagement and satisfaction often revolves around understanding individual needs and fostering a collaborative environment. Here's a brief rundown of strategies to consider: Set Clear Goals and Expectation’s: Everyone should know what's expected of them and how their role fits into the overall team goals. Open Communication: Encourage open dialogue and regular feedback. Make sure team members feel their opinions are valued. Provide Opportunities for Growth: Offer training, mentorship, and opportunities for advancement to help team members feel invested in their career development. Work-Life Balance: Respect personal time and promote a healthy balance between work and life.

Hire the right people in the first place. And if they aren’t your hires- get them in or out today or tomorrow, maybe next week, but not in 3-6 months. Your best team members that you hire for the right reasons, for the right skills, and for the right work will be more engaged and satisfied. Beyond these, I find that discovering alignment of your team’s individual goals, interests, and work with that of the organization’s, can make a world of difference. You want satisfied and engaged team members- give them work and an environment that is interesting and inspiring. Treat your team well, and help them find engagement and satisfaction, and they will pay you back ten-fold.