We’ve talked about some legitimate reasons for team disengagement (find that post here). And we’ve talked about signs that your team is disengaged (here). And I’d go so far as to say team engagement is not only beneficial to your company’s success, it is crucial.
So here’s the bad news. Changing a disengaged culture can be hard, it is usually not an over-night process, and it takes humility to admit your team is not perfect (because we think others might think we aren’t perfect…). But there is also great news. All that hard work and effort is completely worth it!
Top 7 Reasons Why Team Engagement is beneficial CRITICAL to success:
- Amazing Customer Service. If you have a team of staff that interacts with your customer in any way, then they are the face of your company. If they are engaged and excited about what you do as a company, they will provide amazing customer service (with correct training and empowerment). And if your team is not engaged? It’s not pretty….
- Your people will stop you from walking off a cliff. We all have areas where we can’t see the forest for the trees. You need people on your team that will be completely honest with you and your blind spots. An engaged and bought in team is going to want you, the company and the team to be successful. There will be honest feedback and solutions that support success.
- More (and often better) Ideas. Engagement leads to conversations which lead to ideas. You hire smart people (right?) so wouldn’t you want them to bring all their ideas, skills and strengths to the table? Puppets will only do what you tell them to do. Engaged staff will offer ideas that help make the company better.
- Productivity will skyrocket. It’s been proven that productivity exponentially increases when people are engaged and excited about what they are doing. Even if you don’t like statistics (anything can be proven, right?), it just makes sense. We all do a better job and give more effort to things we enjoy and where we feel connected.
- Costs go down. If you are constantly re-hiring, you are losing money. Period. The cost of time spent on the hiring process, other people stepping in to do the job which takes them away from their job, getting the new person up to speed and the learning curve involved there; it is plain insanity.
- You’ll look like a genius. Okay, I had to throw this one in here because who doesn’t want to be the leader of the company where “everyone wants to work.” You creating that company is the first step to you becoming an amazing leader within your company (and probably within your industry and community).
- It’s the right thing to do. Sure, it is a win for you if all of the above occur. Ultimately though, creating a great culture is just the right thing to do. Our feelings towards our jobs impact every area of our lives. Having a job that we enjoy, that motivates us and that allows us to feel like we make a contribution to society is part of each individual’s well-being. You deserve that and so do your staff.
The first step to creating an amazing culture is to be humble enough to say there might be room for improvement within your company. So if you’re ready to look at ways your team might improve, stay tuned for some tips on how to start the process.
And if you have other reasons why you believe Team Engagement is crucial for success, please share your thoughts!
