Give employees a voice in order to evolve

This week, I’m thinking a lot about how slowly organizations evolve and that the need for agility right now is higher than ever – and this likely won’t slow down. We all know that there can be lots of rigid bureaucratic red tape that hinders decision-making and causes frustration.

A lot of organizations use top-down approaches for most things. This leaves problem-solving and higher level strategic decision making to undeveloped leaders (remember, 58% of leaders say they received no leadership training). Chances are, these leaders have gotten some level of inflated ego as their title became higher. Then you have the “yes, man” crippling effect, where everyone agrees with senior leadership and validates them and this significantly limits out-of-the-box thinking and growth.

This week’s easily digestible tidbit is:

Give your employees a voice and allow them to harness their interests and passions in a way that allows them freedom to choose how they can tackle business problems.

We know that only 20% of employees are engaged. 80% are not engaged at work. We also know that employees are looking for more challenges, learning and development, purpose and meaning in their tasks.

If we give them a voice and let them take initiative, imagine the results.

This is bigger than problem solving. It’s encouraging reinvention. It’s allowing employees to unlock their potential and enhance their development while evolving the organization.

What does this require? Strong leadership who can set ego aside, lead these employees and accept and embrace out-of-the-box thinking and innovation.

As a lower-level staff member, identify who the growth-mindset leaders are and sell your ideas to them. If there are growth-mindset leaders at the top, change is more likely to happen.

Empower workers to reimagine what, how, and where work gets done.

Deloitte 2021 Human Capital Trends

This week’s thought provoking questions:

How can you raise the bar on how your organization evolves? How can you involve more people in this process?

This week’s appreciation | motivation | recognition idea:

Identify one idea you’d like to implement at work that you are enthusiastic about. Who can you share this with that you believe will listen? See if you can take it and run with it. Bonus if you can get an ally.

This post originally appeared in Amber’s insight newsletter in July 2021. Sign up for the newsletter to get fresh insights directly in your inbox each month.

Many organizations struggle with issues like high turnover, burnout, low productivity, gossip/politics, and ineffective leadership. Amber offers an easy-to-start streamlined solution through one-on-one leadership coaching, administering & debriefing Hogan assessments, dynamic leadership workshops, and personalized strategic guidance. The result? Reduced turnover, improved productivity and innovation, and a strategic and thriving workplace. Ready to discover how coaching can benefit your organization?

Give employees a voice in order to evolve

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