Frontline leaders are the CEO’s secret weapon for higher engagement and performance

This has been a summer full of major sporting events – the Euro and Copa America soccer tournaments and now the Olympic Games in France. Like so many others, I have been glued to my screen or jumping around my living room in celebration, as I’ve watched historic accomplishments and miracle wins that inspire and remind us of the power of the human spirit and the ability of a team to supersede expectations.

Building championship teams – in sports and business – is not an accident. It requires very purposeful planning and a methodology that can yield proven results. Having a clear understanding of the path you need to take, and the tools you need to execute the plan is essential.

It’s also not a one-person job. True and sustained team success requires more than the effort of one individual driving the rest. It demands personal accountability from all and a willingness to collaborate to ensure that everyone crosses the finish line together.

That’s why CEOs need to harness the power of their team and the influence of frontline leaders in their organization. As much as employees want to hear from their executive leadership, they need to hear from their immediate supervisor even more. The relationship between employees and supervisors is essential for success. In a recent Gallup report about the role managers play in worker wellbeing and organizational performance, it was noted that managers account for 70% of the variance in employee engagement.

The growth we seek personally and professionally can be realized when we are presented with a roadmap to achieve our goals and aspirations and the support of others to help carry us forward. Here again, managers can drive engagement through goal-setting, ongoing feedback, and accountability.

If you think education is expensive, try estimating the cost of ignorance.

– Howard Gardner?

5 ways to make the most of your training investment

As senior leaders and business owners look for ways to retain their talent and keep them focused and productive, they can easily draw a line between employee engagement and important performance drivers such as productivity, retention, sales, profitability, innovation, etc. Employee engagement increases as an emotional response from feeling valued, feeling connected, feeling that we are contributing, and feeling supported to grow and learn.

Because of the strong relationship between managers and team members, the investment that an organization makes in their leadership development can directly and positively impact those four drivers of engagement. But if we are to use our resources and financial investment in developing our leaders wisely, how can we get the most from our training dollars?

To make the most of the training investment, here are some proven best practices:

1. Start by focusing on the training content and approach that will develop the specific skills, knowledge, and abilities the participants need. Create a direct connection between learning and success on the job. That way the participant will be motivated to learn and apply the learning.
2. Studies show that our memory is strongest during the training event, but over time our memory fades. When we do a single training, we run the risk of not remembering the information when we need it. So, deliver the training as close to the implementation of the skills as possible (just-in-time training). Then follow up after the training with reinforcement, feedback, skills practice, and performance support systems (job aids).
3. Deliver additional related training to create further links and implementation opportunities on the job. Create a progressive framework for leaders to strengthen their abilities, while providing opportunities for them to practice and apply those skills. Having success with new skills reinforces the desire to apply and master these skills. As behavior changes, so will outcomes and performance.
4. Reward the completion of learning programs and the application of the knowledge to change behavior and improve performance. That way participants realize that there is acknowledgement for the effort to improve, as well as for the results of the effort.
5. Find creative ways to deliver the training that reach the broadest audience. Use on-the-job assignments as learning opportunities; use your more skilled and experienced leaders as coaches and mentors; and be selective about the formal training programs you offer.

Today’s talented leaders believe that they have options when it comes to where and how they work. Whether this is true or not, CEOs need to understand how to engage these managers and show them how they can achieve their career goals by being part of the team. It is a test of relationship building and trust that requires both sides to commit to each other. It also requires a greater understanding of what motivates each side. Otherwise, it’s easy to feel disappointed and betrayed by broken promises.

Training for your frontline leaders is not a cost, it’s an investment!

When some companies are – at best – doing exit interviews to understand why their people are leaving, my clients have been conducting STAY interviews – meetings with their people to discuss what they like about the workplace and the team – to ensure that their high-performers feel valued, heard, and appreciated. Then they act on the information to offer more of what excites people and to ensure they offer a path towards growth in their careers and opportunities for their best and brightest.

The results of our work to engage and develop these talented, future leaders of the company has allowed my clients to experience:

• Lower turnover and fewer people quitting.
• A pipeline of ready leadership talent since they have at least 1-2 qualified candidates to fill mission-critical roles.
• Renewed energy within the leadership team as they move highly talented and motivated staff to fill each vacancy.
• The workforce becoming more engaged as they see opportunities for growth and promotion.
• External candidates very interested in joining my clients’ organization as they discover the positive and fulfilling environment they’re seeking.

So, even if you can’t do anything about the fluctuations in unemployment rates and availability of good talent, how are you protecting your Human Capital going forward and how are you preparing for the next workforce challenge? Are you encouraging your leaders to prepare their replacements? After all, great leaders don’t create followers. They create more leaders!

No matter how you choose to develop your managers, your organization will benefit from a well-thought out and targeted approach, since the resources you can dedicate are finite. As a professional in the field for almost 30 years, one of my commitments to the organizations I serve is to be a good steward of those resources, making sure that every dollar, euro, or yen spent, will benefit the program participants, and generate a meaningful return for the organization.

The question is whether your organization will be the one providing the opportunities and support to develop your internal talent into the leaders you need, or will your competitors answer the question for them, and steal them away? Act first. Act now!

Join my weekly email list for more tips and advice on how to engage your workforce: https://bit.ly/4cfU5iJ

?