The 1 Thing You can do TODAY to Drive Engagement

How's the morale in your department?

There are all kinds of tools and programs to boost engagement in the long run. But there's something you can do today.

Focus on strengths, not weaknesses.

According to Driving Engagement by Focusing on Strengths by Brian Brim and Jim Asplund, if the supervisor focuses on strengths, the chances of active disengagement is only 1 in 100.

Here are some sobering statistics:

• When people felt their supervisors focused on weaknesses, 22% of people said they were ACTIVELY disengaged.

• And when people felt ignored, 40% of them said they were ACTIVELY disengaged. Feedback, even negative feedback is better than being ignored.

Take a look at this chart from Gallup's 2009 research.

Wow.

If people feel ignored, they are TWICE as likely to feel actively disengaged than if their supervisor focuses on their weaknesses.

It takes very little to make work meaningful, but the investment is rewarding.

Let's make a difference today.

Driving Engagement by Focusing on Strenghts is published in the GALLUP Business Journal

Image/iStock

Chart/Gallup Business Journal