The Gallup Organization for years has said that engaged employees are more productive, more loyal to and advocate more effectively for their organizations than the reverse. News Flash: They’re right. The open question is how to achieve employee engagement. The second question is how much can an organization really do to create that engagement. Here are three tips that at least can give you a place to start.
1. Listen
Actively seeking out feedback demonstrates that leaders value their employees. In fact, employees tell researchers that being listened to by their supervisors and other leaders makes them feel like the organization cares about them.
Listen to employees and foster employee engagement following the HEAR tool:
- Honor: Don’t multitask when you talk with your team. Make appropriate eye contact. Don’t interrupt. Common sense, right?
- Echo: Paraphrase the issue or problem like this. “Let me just echo back to make sure I understand, you’re saying…” You have to listen actively when your team member is talking and then put things into your own words, share, and listen again.
- Ask: Questions demonstrate your interest. Probe, respectfully, to get to the bottom of an issue or problem. Don’t assume, ask. Say, “Could you give me an example…? What did we do before that didn’t work? What would have to happen for this to work?”
- Respond: Be encouraging of dialogue. If confronted with resistance, or even hostility, stay positive. Never retaliate in like kind. Instead, draw out the resistance by starting again at the H and work your way through.
2. Don't leave information out
Authenticity and transparency are increasingly important to your team. Use the CORE tool:
- Changes: What’s changing or needs to change? How does this change relate to other changes from the past?
- Objectives: What are we trying to accomplish as a result of the change? How do those objectives relate to our overall objectives? What do you want people to think, feel and do as a result?
- Reasons: Why are we doing what we’re doing? This is the point most often left out. Share the reasons to build credibility and a sense of shared purpose.
- Effects: What’s the impact on our people, suppliers, customers, communities? Share effects to forestall speculation. Sure, there are times when you can’t, but that’s not the usual case. Be brave and trust your employees. If they resist, go back to the HEAR tool!
3. Follow the 4Ps
The 4Ps connect head and heart while you communicate the CORE:
- Purpose: What do we want to accomplish in our communication interaction? Inform? Inspire? Validate? Explore?
- Picture: Words engage on the intellectual level. Imagery on the emotional level. Paint a picture using vivid, descriptive language – or use images, charts, graphs, multimedia, anything that helps people “see” what you’re talking about.
- Plan: Share the how – how will we attain our objectives? Realize our ambitions? People want to know that leaders have struck a path through the issues and questions to get us where we want to go.
- Part: Give people a part to play, or better yet, engage them in a dialogue about what their part might be. Address the effects of our activities when you do so.
It’s pretty simple in sequence to use the tools here, but it will take a commitment from you and a little time to gain your fluency with them. Once you do, the tools change how you think, how you manage and how you forge relationships at work! Want to get a more robust look at these tools for employee engagement? Listen to our free webinar replay.
DAP Products Success Story
DAP
As part of a go-to-market strategy for a new building product, True created a microsite and marketing campaign to support the product launch. See the results.
Oatey Success Story
Oatey
Learn how revamping Oatey’s social strategy resulted in higher brand visibility, increased website traffic and platform growth.
Worldcom Success Story
Worldcom
Worldcom Public Relations Group wanted to grow its agency network. Learn how region-specific social ads played a role in recruiting the right agencies.
Essendis Success Story
Essendis
Learn how a website redesign and content strategy transformed a cybersecurity company’s brand.
GranQuartz Success Story
GranQuartz
True created a lead generation program with a detailed focus on landing pages and display ads that increased sales for a $100,000 product.
Fantech Trade Show Support Success Story
Fantech
Learn how True reached 2 million HVAC professionals and contractors through targeted content and media outreach.
LaMaze Website Traffic Success Story
LaMaze
See how True prepared the LaMaze for increased traffic as Google algorithms posed new challenges.
Transtar Industries Success Story
Transtar Industries
See how the True Team assisted Transtar with increasing their sales through online optimization.
Overcoming Challenges Of Supply And Demand During COVID-19 Home Improvement Boom
Envision Decking
Learn how increasing brand awareness helped Envision Outdoor Living during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Benjamin Obdyke Success Story
Benjamin Obdyke
See how Team True utilized a multi-pronged content strategy for Benjamin Obdyke’s Hydrogap Drainable Housewrap.
Thomas Jefferson School Success Story
Thomas Jefferson School
Learn how True Digital Communications helped TJ School boost their brand awareness and new student enrollments today.
Malco Automotive Success Story
Malco Automotive
Malco Automotive, a high quality car-detailing products manufacturer, worked with True to uncover business opportunities through a Digital DNA and Content Audit.
FlowGuard Gold Success Story
Lubrizol FlowGuard Gold
See how True leveraged regional content to fuel an account-based advertising campaign for FlowGuard Gold CPVC.
Driving Organic Traffic with SEO Focused Content
Envision Outdoor Living
Read how fine tuning SEO can boost organic traffic.
Systemair Success Story
Systemair
Read how True created tailored email content to increase open rates.
Boral Building Products Success Story
Boral Building Products
Learn how True leveraged educational-style content, including trends, projects, sales strategies, industry news, and production solutions, to appeal to Boral's vast audiences.
Blaklader Workwear Success Story
Blaklader
Blaklader Workwear reached out to True for assistance in developing marketing and advertising tactics to drive booth attendance for a construction industry trade show.
HAECO Americas Success Story
HAECO Americas
Learn how focusing on brand awareness positioned HAECO Americas as a premier airline cabin solution.
Lifebanc Success Stories
Lifebanc
Learn how adapting Lifebanc’s digital ads resulted in increased engagement and drove users to become registered organ donors.
Architectural Railing Success Story
Commercial Railing Company
See how Team True helped an architectural railing client create an unforgettable sales experience that showcases their unique expertise.
Lifebanc Shadow Box Success Story
Lifebanc
True worked with Lifebanc to help create unforgettable shadow boxes that told the chosen donors’ stories.
Building a Sustainable Brand Presence
Solidia Technologies
Building a sustainable brand presence for Solidia Technologies with high-profile interviews with The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company and World of Concrete.
Promoting Green Technology With Public Relations
Solidia Technolgoies
True used an aggressive PR strategy to help spread Solidia Technologie's sustainable message to high-profile editors including The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and World of Concrete.
Elevating Brand and User Experience Through Website Redesign
FIT Technologies
FIT Technologies, a growing IT company, needed a website overhaul. See how True provided a solution through new content and a visual redesign.
How PR Catapulted an Industry Expert
Envision Outdoor Living
See how True Digital Marketing helped expand Envision Outdoor Living's brand awareness through strategic public relations campaigns.
Media & PR Strategy
FIT Technologies
Discover how FIT Technologies leveraged True’s media and PR strategies to become a trusted voice during the 2024 CrowdStrike outage.
True Target SEO and Content Strategy
DaVinci Roofscapes
Branding and Market Expansion
Princeton Fine Wood
Princeton Fine Wood, a Canadian building products company, needed help defining its identity. See how True provided a solution and encouraged growth.
Lead Generation and Media Strategy
OSI
See how we helped OSI boost downloads and fill their sales funnel through smart targeting, media strategy, and ongoing campaign optimization.
Natural Disaster Communications Planning & Execution
Westlake Royal Roofing Solutions
Learn how True Digital Communications helped position Westlake Royal Roofing Solutions as a community partner in times of crisis.
Product Messaging & Campaign Strategy
Master Builders Solutions
Learn how True provided the strategic foundation to target key decision makers in the concrete construction industry, driving measurable impact.
Digital Advertising & Campaign Optimization
Westlake Royal Stone Solutions
Learn how True helped Westlake Royal Stone Solutions build a smarter digital ad strategy that resulted in more form fills while cutting conversion costs.
