Combine Two Powerful Leadership Skills to Deliver Exponential Results
Engagement is more than a buzzword, it is an output of effective leadership. If we were to simplify that thought process, we might be able to make a more significant impact on those we serve. There is no shortage of information related to the subject of engagement. It can come in many different forms, sharing multiple perspectives. I have previously shared ideas on this same subject. In Want a More Engaged Team? Recognition is the Key to Success I discussed the importance of recognition as a method of generating engagement. And in 5 Ideas for Creating an Engaged TeamI covered several ideas that will help keep a team engaged for the long haul. In this article, I want to share my thoughts on the leadership output of creating engagement - developing others.I was reading a short article on several ways to create engagement with your team, and I took away the idea that creating engagement for the sake of engagement is not the only benefit. That engagement and development of others should not be separate thoughts. When you stop to think about that, it seems natural that investing time to develop others will create engagement. If you look at most ideas on engagement or articles discussing the topic, there is almost always something that could easily show up in an article on development ideas.
Create a shared experience
As I thought more about looking at these two subjects together, the concept of creating a shared development experience would serve both purposes and is likely something we are doing today in some fashion. Have you ever shared a video, motivation, inspiring, or just a good take on an everyday leadership concept? You share the video during a team meeting and then create some dialogue around that. You might ask something simple like, “What were your thoughts after watching that video?” This activity is building both engagement and development.The engagement begins by getting the team together. Being connected as a team creates engagement. Suddenly each can see, hear, and touch other people that do what they do. They experience the same things in their day to day roles. Pause for a moment and think of the feelings that come from pulling your store team together or your district of Store Managers for a meeting. It feels good to be partnered in person to share ideas, stories, or just to share what is happening. While few people genuinely like meetings, I rarely hear people say they do not like to get together with their peers.Development comes from sharing perspectives. The great thing about the age we live in is the ease of presenting so many ideas to so many people. 25 years ago it would have been quite a production to show a video (on any subject you wanted) on a screen and then have a conversation about it. While it was possible, the selection, the simplicity, and the venue options are significantly greater today. Even people who cannot physically join in person can easily be a part of the room through video chat functions.
Video Discussion Ideas
Here are a few ideas on videos that can get you started on combining engagement and development sessions into one thought process.
- What is leadership?
- Most leaders don't even know the game they are in
- What Does Great Leadership Coaching Look Like
- How to speak so that people want to listen
You can also find some additional video ideas in the Resources section on the Effective Retail Leader site.In our role as leaders, creating engagement as well as developing others are at the very top of the list of priorities. It would be difficult to argue that those are the only two things we are charged with doing in our leadership positions. The benefits and outcomes that come from both of these skills define effectiveness and determines results. Connecting engagement and development into a single stream thought will only lead to more powerful and positive successes for the entire team.Share your ideas on how you can combine engagement creation and development in the comments.Join other retail leaders in continuing their development journey with Effective Retail Leader.com. SUBSCRIBE today to receive leadership tips directly to your inbox and monthly newsletters that provide many tools to help further develop your leadership skills. JOIN NOW!No spam ever - just leadership goodness.Photo by Hunter Harritt on Unsplash