Gallup polls hundreds of thousands of employees around the world each year to answer one question – does your boss care about your well-being?
Call it employee engagement or morale – it’s an extremely important data point. There are ample studies that show a strong correlation between that data point and company performance.
“A highly engaged workforce means the difference between a company that outperforms its competitors and one that fails to grow.”
– Gallup
Both in the U.S. and around the world, employee engagement numbers haven’t changed much over the years. In the U.S., only 1 in 3 employees are excited about their work. Globally it’s worse – only 1 in 8 are fired up. Ugh! What’s a leader to do?
In early 2009 I was asked to give a leadership talk to a group of Army Officers at Madigan Army Medical Center in Takoma, Washington. At that time I was Commanding Officer of Naval Hospital Bremerton, one of the Navy’s 5 Family Medicine Teaching Hospitals, in Bremerton, Washington.
At that point in my career I had been in leadership positions for 25+ years. Having always been fascinated with the topic of leadership, I had read and studied many books on the topic. During all those years in the leadership cauldron, I experienced the profound power of both an uncaring leader and a caring leader.
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
One primary goal I had while in command was simple. I wanted to show all staff members that I cared…because I did.
The question then became – what specific leadership behaviors would show that I care?
My good friends from the Army were compelling me to refine my thoughts on leadership into a formal presentation. Between my passion for the topic and the healthy rivalry between the Army and the Navy, I was pretty motivated. It was the first time I thought deeply about a topic I’ve always found intriguing.
While I’ve added much content over the years, that presentation to my Army colleagues in 2009 became the basic design for my current leadership seminars, as well as the book that I’m presently writing.
Getting back to the original question: given the sad state of employee engagement globally, what’s a leader to do?
The answer is simple: take time to learn the art of leadership.
In this season of my life my passion is to help others on their leadership journey. I’ve learned much of what works and what doesn’t work. I’ve made my share of mistakes and will share it all.
In future blogs I’ll tell personal stories and present some fascinating data that will help any leader convey a caring attitude, get employees excited about their work, and ultimately create high performing teams.
Welcome to my “Leadership Pearls” blog. Don’t forget….enjoy the journey!
Mark
Mark Brouker
Captain (Retired), United States Navy
Founder and President
Brouker Leadership Solutions