For over 20 years, the modern workplace has been striving to lift employee engagement with limited success. While there is a clear correlation between ‘institutional’ employee engagement (as measured by the annual survey) and productivity, profitability, safety and turnover (Gallup meta-analysis), Gallup has also published numerous articles highlighting the absence of real progress in lifting engagement both in the USA and worldwide.
Modern measures of employee engagement largely assess the external factors influencing a person’s commitment to work, such as their relationship with their manager, colleagues and the wider ‘culture’ of the organisation. These external factors are the tip of the iceberg when compared with the inspiration drawn from Personal Engagement and Fulfilment.
The spirit of Personal Engagement and Fulfilment comes from within the individual, be they employee, manager, leader or entrepreneur. Commitment to action is inspired and driven by self-interest and self-motivation, rather than by the incentives and environment created by the organisation.
At its heart, Personal Engagement and Fulfilment have the potential to be discovered and inspired through the following questions:
- What is your most important personal, business or career goal right now?
- What resources / resourcefulness do you need to accomplish your most important goal?
- What strengths will you use to achieve your goal?
- How will you celebrate completion of this goal and any significant milestones along the way?
- Who else can help you accomplish your goal? Who will be your greatest cheerleader?
- What skills / knowledge / talent will yo need to develop in order to achieve your goal?
- Whose opinion will you seek out who may have accomplished a similar goal in the past?
- How does this goal help inspire your Purpose and align with your Personal Values?
- What standard do you need to set and maintain in order to complete this goal?
- Who do you trust to encourage and support you in achieving this goal?
- How will this goal help you progress your life/business/career?
- Even if you fail, what will the value of striving to accomplish this goal be?
Current perspective about ‘institutional’ employee engagement can and should be enhanced by a culture supporting Personal Engagement and Fulfilment. Which element above resonates most with you in this moment?
