This post originally appeared on the Louisiana Technology Park blog.
Leadership speaker and coach Dima Ghawi says that when it comes to engaging and motivating employees, leaders tend to make the process more complicated than it needs to be.
“It’s so simple — it’s taking care of our team,” Ghawi says. “That’s the bottom line. So many people become intimidated about how they’re going to be a leader. You talk to your people, you ensure that they’re comfortable and they’re motivated. That’s what matters.”
A recent Gallup survey found that only 34 percent of U.S. employees feel engaged in their jobs, and those numbers are even lower when global workers are included. Ghawi, who spoke to business leaders at a recent Tech Park Academy event at the Louisiana Technology Park, says she was initially skeptical of those low engagement numbers, but her work as a leadership coach has made her a believer.
Ghawi says there are several complaints she hears repeatedly from workers: Their jobs don’t allow them to be creative; they feel stuck without a clear career path; they don’t feel appreciated or rewarded for their work; or they feel disconnected from their management team because managers lack communication and leadership skills or because they lead by fear. She says these concerns are especially prevalent among younger workers.
“This is what I hear every single day,” she says. “We’re losing great talent. We need to learn how to engage them, motivate them and keep them happy so we can get the best out of them.”
Ghawi discussed three ways organizations and leadership can engage their workers, fuel enthusiasm and retain the top talent that every dynamic company needs to compete in a rapidly changing business landscape.