Are your people fully engaged? If not, it's time to become a genuine leader.

Can you imagine how great it would feel to be excited and enthusiastic about coming to work every day?  To know that you are truly valued, appreciated and respected?  To feel inspired, motivated, engaged and willing to go the extra mile?

Well, according to Gallup's new 142 country study on the State of the Global Workplace , "only 13% of employees worldwide are actually engaged at work. The bulk of employees worldwide -- 63% -- are "not engaged," meaning they lack motivation and are less likely to invest discretionary effort in organizational goals or outcomes.  And 24% are "actively disengaged," indicating they are  unhappy and unproductive at work and liable to spread negativity to coworkers.  In rough numbers, this translates into 900 million not engaged and 340 million actively disengaged workers around the globe." 

Fortunately in Canada and the U.S. the numbers are a little better:  "29% Engaged - 54% Not engaged - 18%Actively Disengaged."  What this says to me is that 71% of the working population is unproductive and unhappy.  A sad reality when you think about it since we spend 75% of our waking hours, working.

So what can this situation be attributed to? Well, I have a hunch that it all comes down to a lack of genuine leaders.  There are people in leadership positions and positions of power, who are not true leaders and therefore, do not know how to bring out the best in others.  As a result, morale and productivity is low and people are unmotivated.

Here are my Top 3 suggestions to help you become one, make a real difference and turn these numbers around. 

1.  Get real
A genuine leader is real and people know that they're real.  Their values and guiding principles define who they are and how they live their life.  Today, more than ever, there is a call for leaders who really care about their people.  Compassionate leaders who understand the meaning of respect and the subtleties of respect.  They recognize their people are people who have lives and commitments outside of work that must be respected.   And people love to work for them.

2.  Be self-led and personally accountable: 
Genuine leaders are wise enough to know that the key to cultivating respect begins with self-respect.  They have a high level of personal awareness and they're committed to being the best they can be.  As such, they are fully accountable for their lives and their actions and they do not blame others for their mistakes. And because they are accountable, their people like them, feel comfortable with them and are willing to go the extra mile. Respect is garnered, trust is built and productivity increases

3.  Do the right thing.
Genuine leaders recognize that they must always do the right thing especially when opportunities that may be right for the them or the company ie. profits, conflicts with what is right for their people.  These are the leaders who will be rewarded with people who will go the extra mile for them because they know that they would do the same for them. And the leaders who look after their people, will be rewarded with people who look after their profits.  
 
In summary:  The good thing about these poor engagement numbers is that it will bring about positive and healthy change to our corporate environments. I would be an idealist to think that there is a quick fix for this. There isn't, but with
a clear vision and a strong commitment, the opportunity to shift the culture is within easy reach.  Why?  Because we can't
address a problem until we admit we have one and the numbers here don't lie.  The companies and their leaders who recognize that things have to change, are the ones who will take action.  They will begin to invest in their people and in themselves, by being committed to building a culture of genuine leaders - at every level of the  organization.

Today, people want to know that they are part of something bigger than themselves. They want to embrace a bigger vision – one that inspires them to give the best of themselves to their employer every day. Poor leadership will shake an employee's belief in a company's future, affect their level of engagement and make them think twice about whether they want to work there.  That is why the more demoralized and disengaged people are, the more inspiring and genuine an organization's leaders must be.  
 
Genuine leaders recognize this and they know that difficult times represent a real opportunity.  As such, they will embrace
these realities and see it as an opportunity to change and make a difference.   But perhaps the real motivation for
inspiring a culture of genuine leaders who care about their people, can best be summed up in the words of a Cherokee Chief who once said, “When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.”

Genuine leaders will help chart that course and steer their people and their organization into a brighter and safer harbour. 



1. Source Gallop World
www.gallop.com

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