Engagement matters

Data shows engaged employees deliver better business performance, are more connected and committed to their companies, and strive to go above and beyond far more than their less engaged peers. Yet on a global level, only six out of 10 employees are engaged. According to an Aon Hewitt whitepaper, The Engaging Leader, the most critical leadership drivers of employee engagement are: establishing direction and shared purpose, demonstrating character and integrity, developing and retaining talent, applying knowledge and sound judgment. But it is easier said than done. Of course, leaders need to do these things, but they don't. The white paper says in order to engage others, leaders must first be engaged themselves. Before companies can look to their leaders to engage the masses, they must first create engagement in the leadership ranks.

Leaders can be uniquely engaged by their own leaders, the quality of the other senior leaders around them and the people and work processes that enable them to do their jobs. The report says organisations should be assessing for engaging leadership through measures like personality tests and 360-degree reviews to measure leader behaviours and perceptions from others' points of view. This will enable organisations to identify engaging leaders and use them as multipliers in their leadership team.