Why? Because our “systems” are broken……

Gallup released a report in Feb 2017 – stating that 70% of U.S. Workers are Not Engaged at Work. They are also showing similar statistics for children at school: by grade 12 66% of children are Not engaged at school. And these figures are getting worse each year. This is a sign of a broken system. A collective disengagement by the human race. This is why we need to change the way we think, act & communicate in organizations & schools – if we want to flip these statistics around.

So let’s start by looking at engagement in organizations…..

Jim Hartner, a chief scientist at Gallup research said, “engagement arises when employees clearly know their roles, have what they need to fulfill their roles and can see the connection between their individual role and the purpose of the organization”. I would say this is merely a minimum requirement and that engagement sky rockets when people are aligned to the role and the purpose of the organization, because it is in line with their highest values/passions & uses their natural talents. Hartner also adds that, “there’s simply no question that managers are one of the top root causes of low and flat-lined engagement.” So why is this? What are managers doing to cause disengagement? Research by Liz Wiseman (author of “Multipliers”) says this about how managers (“accidental diminishers”) cause disengagement: firstly their assumption is that “people won’t figure it out without me”. With this assumption, they end up doing some or all of the following:

1. Under-utilize talent and hoard resources
2. They create a tense environment which suppresses people’s thinking & capability
3. They give direction – that shows how much they know
4. They make abrupt decisions that confuse the organization
5. They drive results through personal involvement

 

If it is true that engagement is directly linked to the managers, is your company measuring how your managers are impacting those they lead (whether the impact is high or low engagement)? Would you measure it if you knew that high engagement leads to double the “intelligence” – walking through your front door every day. This means double the creativity, innovation & learning that happens every day for each individual who is highly engaged…..what would be the collective impact if every employee was highly engaged every day? How much faster would your company grow if the individuals and teams within it were growing at double the pace?

What about engagement in schools…….

What gets children enthusiastic & energized about going to school? When do they learn best? When are they highly engaged in a task or activity? Ken Robinson (author and speaker) said this in one of his Ted Talks, “education dislocates many people from their natural talents & passion, it very often takes them away from what excites their spirit & their energy. If they are doing what they love to do & are good at – they loose track of time because they are so engaged in the activity”. So why is education taking them away from what excites their spirit & their energy? And if this is true, is it any surprise that most children don’t really know their talents or what really engages them by the time they leave school……What assumptions do teachers & parents have about children? Do they (like managers) have the assumption that “children won’t figure it out without them & their guidance”? What if that assumption is simply untrue? What about the assumption that children won’t learn unless they are taught? Or won’t succeed unless they go to school?

There are significant parallels between what is happening in schools and what is happening in companies (when it comes to engagement). Not enough employees or children are doing things that they love & are naturally good at. And not enough leaders (managers, teachers & parents) are creating the environment that nurtures this diversity of talent & passions that people have.

Which brings me to the revolution that I believe we need in both schools and organizations – if we want to flip these statistics around……our view of “talent” & “intelligence” has to change and how we see “value” to society does too. Whether we are leading an organization, a classroom or our family we have to understand that intelligence is diverse, dynamic and distinct for each person. That IQ should not be valued above emotional, social or spiritual intelligence etc. That as organizations & communities we depend on diversity of talent (with no talent being superior to another talent). We have to re-think the fundamental principles in how we lead organizations & schools and what is valued – if we want to get full engagement. We have to value natural talent, passion & the unique creativity of each individual. We have to allow people to be themselves (spiritually, emotionally & mentally) – all of the time. Where there is authenticity – there is full engagement & aliveness. So how do we create organizations & schools that value authenticity. That value difference over conformity. That value creativity over “never making a mistake”. How can we all lead ourselves back to our own authenticity?