There are two items that provide strategic direction for the management of any organization: The first is its mission statement. This sets the tone, direction and future course of the organization. It defines who we are and who we want to be. The second significant strategy is employee engagement. According to Robert Gorman of Kinsey Consulting, "The employer and employee relationship is changing from paternalism to partnership. The relationship is based on shared values and goals, as well as mutual caring and respect."

So, what is employee engagement? Wikipedia states that an engaged employee is someone who is fully involved in and enthusiastic about their work. Employee engagement is now measured by items which have been linked to key business outcomes, including productivity, employee retention and results.

Another picture of employee engagement comes from Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric. In a Business Week article, Welch was asked which measurements give the best sense of a company's health. His response? Employee engagement. "It goes without saying that no company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it," Welch says. "That's why you need to take the measure of employee engagement at least once a year through anonymous surveys in which people feel completely safe to speak their minds."

Managers' Roles

Employees must also feel that they're included in the functioning of the organization and can see their efforts in the company's results. And, the number-one factor in employee engagement is the manager-employee relationship. In fact, Marc Drizin, founder and CEO of Employee Hold'em, recently conducted a study, which pointed to "the vital need to focus on the employer-employee relationship and the four ‘Rs' of recruitment, retraining, rewarding and retaining."

A synopsis of Drizin's report shows 43 percent of the surveyed employees are fully engaged, 25 percent are somewhat engaged, and 32 percent are unengaged. What this tells us is that many managers and supervisors are not fully doing their job. Perhaps they're more concerned with their own projects, productivity, and career advancement than their employees' success. But, the overriding template that boosts productivity is the employee and their level of engagement, or the manager-employee relationship.

Managing is a multifaceted and complex job. It's a blend of technical and interpersonal skills. It also requires managers to have a good handle on their own strengths and areas for development and then value each employee as an individual.

Areas of Engagement

Some of the areas that managers must think about and act upon to engage employees are:

• Trust: This must be developed and go both ways: Managers must trust their employees and their employees must trust them.
• Skill/talent: Do managers ensure that their employees' skills and talents are fully utilized? Also, do employees have the opportunity to further develop those skills, as well as learn new ones?
• Employee empowerment: Do managers simply view their employees as necessary workers or consider them important contributors?
• Regular dialogue: Managers should not only define responsibilities with their employees, they must also follow up with them regularly to see whether they need assistance in certain areas.
• Inclusion: Do managers include employees' input on decisions? Or, do managers still think that they alone have all of the answers?
• Communication: Do employees know where the organization is heading? Do employees understand who their customers are and their specific roles as contributors?

Do your employees understand the company's mission statement? It's the manager's job to develop their employees and show them that their efforts are strategic to the organization's growth and success. As noted earlier, business has moved from the day of paternalism to one of a partnership. The paternalistic organization died in the '80s and '90s due to all of the layoffs. Today, employees are more mobile and think in terms of their interest. As leaders, we must capture that interest.

Diane Miller, Chuck Muzzy and Rick Sullivan have formed a partnership in Human Resources Consulting. The three participants are well versed in their field and, combined, have more than 80 years of experience. Their first action on any assignment is to get to know the business; secondly, the issue(s); and then apply practical solutions. To contact Chuck Muzzy, call 678-910-8714, e-mail at cmuzzy@human-capital-strategies.net or visit: http://www.human-capital-strategies.net/.