5 Things Disengaged Employees Need from Their Leaders

As a leadership coach, I spend a decent amount of time talking with leaders about their disengaged employees. I’ve noticed over time that as leaders, we often say, “If he won’t step up, he’s going to have to leave.”

At the same time, our employees are saying, “My leader doesn’t appreciate me, so I’ve checked out, and I want to leave.”

Leaving, however, doesn’t have to be the solution for a disengaged worker, and I believe that individual leaders – and not organizations – are mostly responsible for creating engaged employees.

So, what are some of the most common reasons employees feel disengaged, and how can leaders address them? Here are five things that you, as a leader, can do to re-engage the people on your team. (more…)

The week of Thanksgiving always seems like a good time to reflect on how we can thank employees for their hard work and for the value they bring to the company. But frankly, I don’t like the way that feels. Though there’s certainly nothing wrong with thanking employees around the holidays, it can also seem very trite, especially if that’s the only time of the year you show your appreciation!

This week, I want to focus on how leaders can show their thankfulness year round. Instead of just listing my ideas of good ways to thank employees, I wanted to hear from the employees themselves! This is a REALity question from me! So, this weekend I e-mailed a handful of friends and asked them the following question:

How does your leader show his/her thankfulness to you in a way that means the most to you?

Here’s what they had to say: (more…)