Engage Thyself

I encourage you to read an article at Talent Management that discusses the importance of engaging yourself in the workplace. The advice is practical and timely:

Correcting the Imbalance
By first accepting some ownership for one’s own engagement, what can the employee do to enhance their own engagement levels? Employees can consider the following 11 tactical tips:

• Adopt a more positive can-do attitude typically seen among those workers considered engaged, who seem universally appreciated by both peers and management. Try to eschew the chosen victimhood typically exhibited by the actively disengaged and, to some extent, the ambivalent, “quit and stay” or “clockwatching” employee.
  This choice is much like the quote, “Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.” Attributed on the Internet to everyone from Vince Lombardi to Denzel Washington, this sage quote illustrates the point: Why not make your own luck, as opposed to waiting for it to find you?
• Accept some ownership for being proud of where you work. Certainly, companies can employ measures that build employee pride in the organization, a centerpiece driver and measure of engagement. With that said, an employee can also participate in fostering that pride. For example, the employee might participate in, or lead, a community outreach or volunteer program potentially sponsored by their employers. As another example, an employee could volunteer to act as a sounding board for job candidates considering employment at the organization.
• Ask for clarification if instructions from your supervisor are somehow unclear. This method is preferred over the behavior of complaining when one feels they are not given clear instructions.
• Set yourself up to be recognized. Often, managers and supervisors can be prompted to publicly recognize an employee for a job well done if the employee simply asks for feedback: “How do you feel I did on that project? Did my work fulfill what you were looking for?”
• Request a career planning meeting with your manager. Structure the dialogue such that your job duties are tailored to what you do best, what you are eager to learn and, ultimately, how this can be aligned with your career growth and personal objectives.
• Get to know your senior leadership. Attend their town hall meetings. Ask questions of them and get them to know you, personally and professionally.
• Actively participate in, and contribute to, decisions that affect your work environment.
• Ask for feedback about your work performance and act on it.
• If you don’t have the tools/resources to perform your job effectively, ask for them.
• Believe in yourself and in your ability to contribute to the organization’s success, no matter what your job function.
• Seek learning, knowledge and satisfaction from your co-workers, and most of all, don’t forget to instill Fun into your everyday work activities. Co-worker satisfaction is the unsung hero of retention.

(Graphic courtesy www.lumaxart.com)

Tags: Self Engagement, Talent Managemet