Direct Impact

Leaders should prioritise employee engagement to improve productivity, surge ahead of competition, and create an aspirational workplace.

- Pallavi Jha

Employee engagement creates resilient organizations and research has proven that leadership styles impact employee engagement and stickiness quotient. Leaders play a key role in inspiring their workforce and give them a sense of belonging. Engaged employees are a competitive advantage and their contribution to the bottom line is unarguable.

Engagement trickles down from the top layer of an organization—through the communication patterns of the leaders and managers or the employee experience that they provide. So, how can leaders be empowered to drive engagement and become a catalyst for happiness at the workplace?

It must begin with the understanding that engagement should be aligned with the intended culture of the organization. Leaders must first internalize their vision, mission, and values, and operate from a realization that every action they take must be in harmony with these core objectives.

Employee engagement is a strategic decision garnered over a period of time. An engaged and empowered culture stems from a sense of contribution to the bigger picture. And that is where leaders come in; they provide a bigger purpose and inspiration through their communication and actions, which bind the organization to the larger cause.

It is important to remember that engaged managers drive engagement in their team members too. The top management must make sure that they choose managers wisely and that they are aligned with the company’s goals.

A Dale Carnegie employee engagement study provides new insights into the importance of employee engagement from the leadership perspective. The research says that the leaders who make engaging their employees a daily priority enjoy the privilege of greater loyalty in their team, leading to a lasting impact on the way an employee enjoys his/her work. It further elaborates on the importance of self-motivation as a driver of any leader’s commitment to employee engagement.