Top 3 Mistakes Leaders Make when Engaging Employees

​When it comes engaging employees and shifting culture, there are a number of core practices that must be in place.

All of which are critical.

However, all too often, some fundamentals are overlooked.
​
Including the following, which are among the top three mistakes made, when it comes to engaging employees:

❌ 𝙏𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚.
 
Engaging employees and shifting culture is not a short-lived initiative or program with no CEO involvement.
 
Yet, so often, it is viewed as an HR initiative, a communications department project, or a Culture Committee assignment.
 
As opposed to a shift in thinking and being, essentially a new way of doing business, going forward.
 
Involving the CEO’s complete buy-in and deep involvement.
 
❌ 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮.
 
Having the right person in every single seat is critical to having engaged employees.
 
Meaning that anyone who is not a good fit, no matter who they are, or what their job is, should not be there. Period.
 
It doesn’t matter why they're still there:
 
💠 Apathy.
💠 There since the company started.
💠 They're someone’s best friend.
 
 The result is the same: Disengaged employees.
 
After all, why should someone put in the effort and care enough to go above and beyond when they see someone else who’s not pulling their weight be allowed to stay?
 
❌ 𝘼𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘽𝙖𝙣𝙙-𝘼𝙞𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨.
 
Lastly, a very common mistake is to implement ‘band-aid solutions’, i.e. nice-to-haves, but not things that will engage employees.
 
Things like meal deliveries to employees working from home, subsidized or free workout classes, happy hours or surprise days off.
 
Yes, employees will like having these things, but, alone, they won’t solve the costly business problems associated with disengaged employees.
 
Because they are not going to make a difference in the emotional commitment that employees feel towards their company and its goals.
 
The very definition of employee engagement.
 
𝘽𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙢 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜.
 
And employees will continue to leave, and organizations will find it difficult to recruit top talent.