Engagement Rings
Have you ever felt disengaged at work?
Maybe it felt like being deflated?
Not wanted?
Not wanting to be there?
The list is much longer than that...just google “signs of disengaged employees” and you will find lists of varying sizes like this one from Forbes.
I can put my finger on three different work memories where I experienced disengaged feelings. Memories of being excluded from an important conversation when I was in the room, my experience with broken promises, and the times my boss stopped giving me meaningful work or even any information of value.
Using my own personal experience, I found it easy to identify disengagement in others. Where I had the opportunity, I would connect with these individuals to discuss whether potential still existed in their current role or whether it was time to consider something new.
Needless to say, my personal experience of feeling disengagement led me to find new roles.
In one of my new roles though, I had an amazing boss who challenged me, always had my back and made time for me. This new role even had me working with a brand new team who spoke a completely different language and included someone who didn’t speak to me for the first two weeks. But this didn’t bother me -- because I had a boss who had my back and believed in me. This is one example of where I felt truly engaged.
In reflecting on engagement, it struck me that there are three kinds of engagement -- or what I will call the engagement rings. Not to be confused with the diamond ones!
We have already discussed disengagement and engagement, and I would like to suggest there is a continuum between engagement and disengagement in which we find mis-engagement. Mis-engagement is a stage before disengagement, in which the employee begins to miss the engagement they desire, before they actually dis-engage.
Signs of mis-engagement might include someone who wants to be involved more, begins to point out issues to others, asks challenging questions or maybe begins putting in extra hours to be noticed.
Mis-engagement provides for an easier opportunity to re-engage that employee.
If you are leading a team with mis-engaged and dis-engaged employees, there are things you can do to help re-engage these individuals.
To start, I would recommend reading my Essential Management Principles, followed by a conversation with each of those individuals to find out which of these principles might need to be applied or amplified. Such a conversation would be enhanced by leaving your ego at the door, staying curious and always maintaining dignity for all involved.
I hope you will give this a try. Let me know if you want to discuss this first.
Photo: Canva Creation
