With every turn of the calendar, senior executives are hit with competing priorities, along with risks and opportunities to consider. Still dealing with high interest rates, geopolitical tensions, and other uncertainties as we enter 2023, there is no shortage of issues competing for our attention. Yet one issue in particular deserves to be high on the list in 2024—employee engagement. Motivated employees tend to be more productive and more inspired to come up with ideas that could have a lasting positive impact on a company’s trajectory.
The Risk of Stagnation
Three years after the so-called Great Resignation began and the remote/hybrid work model started to become the new normal, companies are now facing a new problem: the risk of stagnation. Employees are less likely to leave of their own accord—the quits rate (the number of monthly resignations as a percentage of employment) is at 2.3%, as of October, compared to the 3% high in mid-2022, according to the U.S. Labor Department. This means employee movement is back to pre-pandemic levels. The good news is your top talent may be planning to stay put for now, but some employees probably have fewer opportunities for promotions or job changes within your organization. Internal movement is necessary for inciting ideas and inspiration—otherwise complacency can set in.
To keep keep people motivated and get the ideas flowing, consider adopting these habits in the new year:
Be open to different ways of communicating. People want to be heard, but they may not be forthcoming if they feel they are not being understood. In multigenerational, hybrid, and diverse workforces, we need to adjust our communication styles and adjust some of the terminology we use depending on whether someone prefers phone calls, in-person meetings, or texts, and whether we’re talking with board members, investors, other executives, or employees on the manufacturing floor. Being flexible and truly listening can uncover insights into improvements and efficiencies that might otherwise escape your awareness.
Show, don’t tell. When explaining a concept or training an employee, consider how to make a lasting impression, the kind that stretches beyond you sharing your knowledge but making it so the other person can remember it and improve upon it. To teach someone how to fish, we know to go beyond simply handing over the fish and hoping they can figure it out. Bringing them down to the water and showing them exactly how to cast and showing them how to put on the bait will solidify the lesson—ensuring they can make their own meals, independently gathered on their own.
Use more positive words to incite ideas. Too often, “no” becomes the default word when new ideas are presented, out of fear of trying anything new. Not every idea is a good one, of course, but you don’t want to stifle the good ones from ever being presented. Lean away from the dreaded phrase “but we’ve always done it this way” toward more “yes” and “let’s try it”—and you could find more ideas flowing your way.
Encourage collaboration. I have found some of the stories about Charlie Munger, the Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman who recently passed away, to be inspiring. Donating over $500 million over his lifetime, he had a keen design sense that he shared when making donations to new university buildings, such as plans for a wider hallway in a residence hall to give scientists walking by one another ample space to chat and share ideas.
Do your employees have room for swapping ideas and potentially inspiring stories? For a remote workforce, this “space” could be in the form of designated time, even if it is over Zoom or Slack, and the awareness that the leadership team wants such collaborative moments to happen.
Switch up the view: Anytime someone is procrastinating or feeling overwhelmed, a visualization exercise can snap them out of it. By breaking down complex tasks into manageable steps, a previously insurmountable challenge becomes more approachable. Utilizing tools such as one-page spreadsheets to outline steps, due dates, and dependencies can provide a clearer roadmap and serve as a motivator.
Consider creative arrangements: If post-pandemic work has taught us anything, it’s that flexibility is highly valued and everyone has different work styles. Augmenting a member of the team with fractional expertise can introduce new skill sets, training opportunities for the organization, and fresh perspectives that can give employees a new outlook and even more appreciation for their work or your latest initiatives.
These habits, when genuinely adopted, can instill a culture of open communication and encouragement of ideas—ideas that could lead to positive developments within the company in the form of improvements, efficiencies, and a more resilient business this year.
