Do You Hear The Voices Of Your Talent Across Your Organization

The above title was the opening line during my recent meeting facilitation with an executive leadership team that was visibly stressed about one of their biggest challenges: talent engagement.

Things got so challenging that it started to affect their talent performance severely and as a result, team dynamics, customer experience and ultimately, their revenue.

Interestingly, the conversation started the other way around, with the organization's leadership focused so much on their bottom line. Honestly, who can blame them as they are experiencing so many issues as a financial institution grappling with the dizzying velocity of the financial markets? But that is not the only place where we see tremendous shift, pain and friction. External economic crisis tends to show up first in internal crisis-driven organizations.

External economic crisis tends to show up first in internal crisis-driven organizations. ~ Izabela Lundberg

Regardless of your industry, you are somehow affected by the current recession. The fact is, the success of every business depends on team and leadership engagement that can lead and drive companies through all ups and downs, backward or forward. Ultimately, everyone wants not only to survive but to thrive.

To have a thriving organization, we must first have thriving talent and teams! ~ Izabela Ludberg

You are probably wondering, at this point, how to do that. The short answer is through successful engagement. Successful engagement is reflected in the high level of talent performance, quality interactions between teams and the clearly defined purpose of the organization. Everything else follows like magic when those are clearly established and implemented.

For most successful companies I observed and/or contributed to, engagement is achieved through an effective strategic effort that identifies with all talent in organizations, regardless of their size.

The best part? No one is left behind and everyone is heard as discussions, decisions and implementations are made. Unfortunately, the most prominent hurdle organizations face today is a lack of engagement that leads to poor motivation, productivity, performance, profits and ultimately talent and customer retention. But it does not have to be that way.

The following four pillars of operational fundamentals can help solve many problems. In fact, they can help build much-needed talent, team and organizational resiliency while also working on the root cause of the problems.

? Foster growth-oriented conversations.?What happens when you bring everyone together? The richness of a wide range of perspectives, priorities and pain points can provide a 360-degree overview of the current state and newly established perspectives that leaders need to know, as well as their talent and teams. Nothing builds unity and cooperation as genuine conversations, inclusion and a sense of belonging!

Nothing builds unity and cooperation as genuine conversations, inclusion and a sense of belonging! ~ Izabela Lundberg

? Leverage credible comprehensive questions.?We can all benefit from the opportunity to ask thoughtful, credible questions, formally through surveys and informally in conversation, so that even the most stubborn talent can't resist sharing their perspective. The key is appropriately capturing answers and analyzing and synthesizing them in a new strategic direction and plan. Ultimately, we can turn things around and find something to achieve, celebrate or laugh about together.

We can always find something to achieve, celebrate or laugh about together. ~ Izabela Lundberg

? Provide clear, engaging and ongoing communication.?To continue with engagement, trust and commitment to achieving new goals and a new organizational state, it is impossible to move forward without ongoing, clear and engaging communication. This can build a strong sense of community/belonging and increase talent morale. At the same time, nothing solves current and future issues like a well-organized, performing team.

Nothing solves current and future issues like a well-organized, performing team. ~ Izabela Lundberg

? Highlight the importance and value of well-being.?Unsurprisingly, burnout and stress levels are at an all-time high. The ability to develop emotional capacity and resiliency happens through trusted and meaningful conversation! But to do that, influential leaders need to be willing to create safety and a deep connection with their talent by honoring their strengths and work-life balance. Offering work schedule flexibility can yield exponential results.

Offering work schedule flexibility can yield exponential results. ~ Izabela Lundberg

To move forward and make sound decisions, we need to know a few things: what is really going on in our organizations and where we need to focus, how the current state or lack of leadership intervention is impacting quiet quitting when talent needs are not met, and how organizations are arriving at decisions of quiet firing when they don't see performance or engagement improvement.

NOTE: This article was originally written and published on Forbes and I am so happy to share it with you all in case you missed it. Thoughts? Please share and comment below.

Live, lead, and leave your legacy today and every day! ~?Izabela Lundberg

Izabela Lundberg, The People Champion, is an?Author,??Forbes?Contributor, TEDx & Keynote Speaker,??Humanitarian,??Producer,??Podcaster?& Global Business Leader.

Izabela is solving the global" Great Resignation"?by creating a champion culture, thriving high-performing talent and teams, and legacy organizations.

To discover more about how Izabela and her team can assist you and your organization, schedule a?Complimentary Consultation?HERE.

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