How Leaders Can Boost Employee Engagement: A Personal Story

I was a bitter young lieutenant, recently tapped to go to Korea for three weeks to support an exercise. My wife was eight months pregnant with our second child, and I had just returned from another deployment to Bosnia earlier that year. This was not a real-world mission, but an exercise, and my wife was close to giving birth. I was not happy and didn’t hide it very well. To add to the frustration, I arrived and discovered they didn't even have a job for me. I was simply filling a billet because it was on the exercise manning document, living in a tent in Korea (a tent--what kind of Air Force was this?).

Then, a kind Major noticed me. He took the time to talk to me and understand my situation. Seeing me sitting in the Air Operations Center with a book and a gloomy demeanor, he approached me warmly and said, "Hey Lt, I really need some help. Would you be willing to learn the ATO software and help us out during the exercise? I know this isn't really in your lane, but I need help." The ATO and ACO or Air Tasking Order/Air Coordination Order, is the schedule, air space, and areas for all military flying operations for a set period of time. Those words, "I need help," cut through my gloom and struck a chord with me. I agreed.

I learned the ATO software and started pushing out the ATOs and ACOs for the exercise. One week in, in the middle of the night, someone woke me up in my cot. The person who usually pushed the real-world ATOs and ACOs was violently ill, and the replacement was on leave. I was the only one onsite who knew how to do it, so I stepped in and pushed out both the real-world and exercise orders. One of the Navy officers even started calling me "Linch Pin" because I was the only one who could handle both sets of orders. It felt great to be needed, recognized, and praised for my work.

At the end of the exercise, I was recognized for stepping up and getting the mission done, and I received a special coin from the commanding officer of the Air Operations Center. This experience showed me the difference a caring leader can make.

From a Forbes article, "How Leaders Impact Employee Engagement," we learn:

• The highest driver of engagement is whether employees feel their leaders genuinely care about them. Yet, only 28% of employees strongly agree that leadership genuinely cares about their health and well-being.
• 76% of employees with empathetic managers are very engaged at work, but 52% believe that leadership empathy is disingenuous.
• When leaders prioritize genuine employee recognition, employees are 40% more engaged. However, over 80% of employees feel they don’t receive enough recognition at work.

(https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/07/24/how-leaders-impact-employee-engagement/?sh=224360951354)

In my own experience, I moved from being actively disengaged to highly engaged and productive because of that Major. He could have just ordered me to learn the system and do the job, but he chose to show he cared, asked for my help, and made sure I was recognized for my work. This made my work meaningful to me and the team.

Incidentally, I returned home from Korea on September 9th, 2001, and my daughter was born on September 14th. It was an eventful time, but my leadership at home took care of me, even though we were doing 12-hour shifts, 24/7 after 9/11.

While the final decision on whether employees are engaged lies with the employee, leaders play a crucial role in creating a framework that allows for engagement to exist. How are you supporting employees as individuals, creating employee-focused cultures, and allowing value-driven work?

Appreciation matters. Take the time to recognize and care for your team members. It can make all the difference

.