3. Real employee engagement requires action from you, all managers, and HR. Engagement is not a project that you work on and then put to bed. Engagement should be treated as a verb — a conditioned action that is continual and ongoing throughout the entire organization.
4. When you hire talented people, trust and empower them to do their jobs. You don’t have to be involved in every project nor do you need periodic updates, unless they need your support. This type of micro-managing sends a message that you don’t trust your employees’ abilities.
5. Encourage new ideas from the entire company — even if the ideas never come to fruition. Employees who know their opinion is valued will be engaged. You want employees to challenge themselves, think, and take risks. If an idea doesn’t work, explain why. By ignoring people and discounting ideas without an explanation, you will single-handedly lock them in a silo of fear. They’ll never speak up again for fear of being shot down and being looked upon negatively. Trust me on this.
6. Follow up skills. They’re easy — learn them. Don’t ignore the human beings we call employees.
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