As I look through my past, I can honestly say that there were very few roles that I felt truly engaged. I think if we are all vulnerable, we can admit that we didn’t give 100% all the time, or maybe even rarely. When I did give a 100%, it was due believing in the mission or vision and the leader’s engagement with me as a mentor or coach. I was given a problem or challenge with the empowerment and tools to be successful. If I had a question, there was no hesitation and I felt comfortable asking a teammate or leader for help. I believe is this the key to setting a culture that drives engagement.
In my team’s work plan we have weekly one-on-one meetings. There are no prerequisites or deliverable for this meeting. This is strictly an opportunity to engage with my team and to see if there is any way I can assist them with their current tasks or projects. I also take this time to note positive behaviors that they have reflected. In some instances, this also provides an opportunity for constructive feedback and mentoring. The culture and moral on my team is very important to me. To ensure we maintain this, our collective work plan consists of quarterly Team Assessment Reports (TARs). The TARs are facilitated through Patrick Lencioni’s Table Group. The reports provide us with actionable team goals to improve our engagement and teamwork.
This plan will ensure our team operates cohesively and works together to identify the best solutions for our organization. As Patrick Lencioni states, “The single, greatest advantage any company can achieve is organizational health” (Lencioni, 2014). There is a direct correlation between organizational health and employee engagement as identified in the McKinsey’s group Organizational Health Index report (Palmer, 2018).
MGT 635: Open Source Leadership 