How to Engage the Engagers  
CONNECTING FIRST-LINE SUPERVISORS

There's no getting around it. First-line supervisors are the linchpins to employee engagement.  In his book Linchpin, Seth Godin says that a linchpin is the essential element--the person who holds the operation together. Without a linchpin, everything falls apart. Linchpins are indispensable. 

If your organization is seeking to improve levels of employee engagement, start with the supervisors.  They are the engagers. If you manage first-line supervisors, your job is to engage these engagers.

Engagement has been defined as the connection employees feel to their work. It's the right combination of pride and commitment that makes employees feel aligned with the goals and mission of your organization. But what does it take to get engagement and how do you engage those who can engage others?

A study from the Merit System Protection Board presented by Doug Nierle and Dr. J. Peter Leeds found that 87 percent of employees who agreed their first-line supervisor had good management skills were fully engaged. Fourteen percent of employees who disagreed that their first-line supervisor had good management skills were fully engaged.

If an engaged supervisor is the linchpin to developing engaged employees, how do you engage the engagers? How can you support first-line supervisors so they can fully engage their staff? Here are a few tips:

• Be clear about the mission and direction of your organization. Convey the mission over and over in a simple way and encourage first-line supervisors to do the same. The more you talk about what's important, the more likely the staff who reports to you will talk about it with others.

• Foster conversations that encourage employees to link their day-to-day performance to the organization's mission. A mission statement and strategic plan are only effective if everyone in the organization has their fingerprints on it.

• Improve recognition systems, making it easy for supervisors to recognize and reward employees who contribute to the mission. At the same time, recognize supervisors who are leading others to support the mission. What you recognize will be repeated.

• Develop the management skills of first-line supervisors so they can clearly express their expectations. The better the management skills of the supervisors in your organization, the more likely employees will be engaged and committed.

• Change things up on a regular basis by rotating supervisors into different assignments. A variety of responsibilities and challenges allow supervisors to stay engaged and excited about the work. Again, engaged supervisors lead to engaged employees.

• Show value in your supervisors, recognizing their critical contribution to the organization's mission. One way to show you value them is to include them in conversations about the organization's future. 

If you are struggling to engage your workforce, begin with the linchpins. When you deliberately and effectively engage first-line supervisors, your chances of engaging the entire organization skyrocket.

Reviewing Performance Is Not an Event
NEW TRAINING RESOURCE

Arizona State University features Painless Performance Management
PUBLIC TRAINING OPPORTUNITY

 

Location: Sheraton Four Points, 1333 South Rural Road, Tempe, Arizona

Cost: $25/ASU Alumni Member or $35/Non-Member

Final Footnotes 
NEWS & EVENTS FROM MARNIE

I'm continually grateful for the opportunity to provide support to some of the most innovative, leading-edge companies and government entities in the country.

In the past few months the following organizations have invited me in to deliver training, coaching, speaking, or consulting services:

• City of Las Vegas, NV
• Royal Oaks Lifecare Community
• Salt River Project
• State of Arizona, Department of Economic Security
• League of California Cities
• AZ Society for HR Management
• Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC)
• City of Phoenix, AZ
• Human Resource Executives of Tucson
• City of Murfreesboro, TN