How to Transform Managers into Inspirational Leaders

Organizations around the world spend millions of dollars each year to measure and increase the engagement of their employees, hoping to increase their revenues and profitability.

In order to implement practices that will increase engagement in an organization, it is imperative to first understand employee engagement . At the Success Programme, we define employee engagement as "a state of mind in which employees feel passionate, energized and dedicated to their work". This transforms every individual working in the organization into an employee who puts their heart, soul, mind and hands on the line to achieve high performance."

Employee engagement is not something that a manager can create alone. Managers have a direct impact on employees' desire and ability to be engaged, even though employees must both learn and choose to be engaged in their work. "What Made Jack Welch Jack Welch? How Ordinary People Become Extraordinary Leaders , Stephen Baum says, "The essence of leadership is a few things we shouldn't overestimate: character, confidence, critical thinking, and the ability to engage other people."

Today I'm going to give senior executives five key practices to help them become inspirational leaders. You can combine them with your own style;

1. Meaning and Purpose:

Develop a strong sense of meaning and purpose in your people and communicate it well. If you define your organization's purpose through the eyes of your customers, employees, stakeholders and the world, you will find that your employees are much more engaged in their work. According to Deloitte's Culture of Purpose research, mission-driven companies have 30% higher levels of innovation and 40% higher employee retention. Passionate individuals who want to be engaged in their work are attracted to companies that offer more purpose than financial compensation. This is what leadership at the top level requires, that is, engaging employees in a way that creates and communicates the meaning and purpose of the organization...

When you use a "Purpose" slogan created only in the boardroom, this purpose will resonate in the organization in a hollow and meaningless way.

2. Autonomy:

Create an environment where every leader has the autonomy (will) to succeed on their own terms. Leaders at all levels must be empowered to set their own paths to overcome obstacles, move forward in an accountability environment with defined boundaries, and build trusting relationships with subordinates to mobilize their teams. In his book "Drive" , Daniel Pink argues that autonomy is a key motivational factor that gives people "control over how they do their work".

3. Development:

Invest in the future success of the organization by investing in employees and fueling their personal development. Executive leaders who invest in learning, meet regularly with teams (at all levels), create a culture of feedback and show genuine interest in employees will set the example for all leaders to follow their lead. The future success of the organization depends on the company's commitment to developing its employees and creating a culture they won't want to leave.

4. Impact:

Give employees a sense of direction about where they are going and how their work contributes to and influences that direction. In addition, energize them by creating excitement and momentum for change. Words, vision, goal-oriented communication and energized actions speak to the hearts, souls and minds of employees. It is important to keep in mind that inconsistent messaging, lack of vision and negative communication are the most significant obstacles employees face when trying to develop engagement.

5. Belonging:

Create a positive psychological agreement with every employee and improve organizational belonging. A Psychological Agreement is an unwritten, implicit set of expectations and obligations that set the terms of exchange in a relationship. A psychological agreement thrives on transparent and authentic communication. This transparent communication is also key to creating a culture of trust between leaders and employees. In today's world, where the flow of information is so fast and easy, trying to guide people with only formal messages is inherently doomed to fail. Employees can now more easily see through artificial or false statements. Trust can be built when you are always sincere and transparent with your employees. A culture that values transparency in the workplace creates engaged employees.

Transforming managers from mere tacticians to inspirational leaders starts with the CEO and permeates the entire organization over time. That's it in a nutshell;

• Believe inthe purpose and meaningof the organization first, and then communicate it well with employees.
• Provide an environment of autonomy for your managers to transform from mere operators into inspirational leaders.
• Invest in personal development for every level of the organization.
• Take care to create opportunities to influence employees with inspiring messages and actions.
• Finally, create a real connection with your employees through transparent communication, creating a sense of belonging.

In a strong organization where managers are transformed into inspirational leaders by implementing these five key practices, a positive employee experience will surely emerge. An environment will be created in which employees put their hearts, souls, hands and minds fully on the line, delivering high levels of performance across the organization.

If you wantto learn the details of these 5 keys and transformyour managers into inspiring leaders, join our "Employee Engagement " trainings.

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