The Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review

 

January 23, 2015 Greater Engagement Starts with Leaders It’s important to cultivate a belief in the power of engagement across your entire company. And the first step is making engaging leadership part of your culture. To drive this, focus on four key steps. First, measure engagement levels through a survey. You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Next, actively develop engaging leaders. Use workshops and coaching to help managers make engaging behaviors more habitual. Then, select engaging leaders to fill high-impact roles. Use tools like 360 reviews to assess and predict whether someone can improve his or her engagement skills. Finally, reward the engagement you achieve. Tying incentives to engagement survey scores can be tricky, but you need to get serious about recognizing leaders who are engaging – and holding accountable those who are not. Adapted from “What Makes Someone an Engaging Leader” by Ken Oehler, Lorraine Stomski, and Magdalena Kustra-Olszewska.

BEST SELLERS HBR's 10 Must Reads: The Essentials | HBR's 10 Must Reads Ebook Boxed Set | HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations Ebook + Video Case Study | HBR Guide to Better Business Writing | HBR Guide to Getting the Right Work Done

FEATURED PRODUCT Wiser: Getting Beyond Groupthink to Make Groups Smarter HBR Press Book We’ve all been involved in group decisions--and they’re hard. And they often turn out badly. Why? Many blame bad decisions on “groupthink” without a clear idea of what that term really means. Now, “Nudge” coauthor Cass Sunstein and leading decision-making scholar Reid Hastie shed light on the specifics of why and how group decisions go wrong--and offer tactics and lessons to help leaders avoid the pitfalls and reach better outcomes. They explain in clear and fascinating detail the distinct problems groups run into and provide methods and advice for making groups smarter. These approaches include silencing the leader so that the views of other group members can surface, rethinking rewards and incentives to encourage people to reveal their own knowledge, thoughtfully assigning roles that are aligned with people's unique strengths, and more. With examples from a range of organizations--from Google to the CIA--and written in an engaging and witty style, “Wiser” will not only enlighten you; it will help your team and your organization make better decisions--decisions that lead to greater success. Buy Now

FEATURED PRODUCT HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case Ebook + Tools HBR Press Book This enhanced eBook version of the HBR Guide to Building Your Business Case includes downloadable tools and templates to help you get started on your own case right away. You've got a great idea that will increase profitability or productivity – but how do you get approval for the budget and resources to make it happen? By building a business case that clearly shows your idea's value. Available exclusively through HBR.org. Buy Now

ADVERTISEMENT

HBR.ORG | THE MAGAZINE | TOPICS | BOOKS | CASES | STORE | SUBSCRIBE TO HBR UNSUBSCRIBE | NEWSLETTERS PRIVACY POLICY | CONTACT Copyright © 2015 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing 60 Harvard Way Boston, MA 02163 CUSTOMER SERVICE: 800-545-7685 (US/Canada) 1-617-783-7600 (outside the U.S. and Canada)