Have you ever wondered what engages people at work? Have you ever explored and shared with your boss what engages you? Are you curious to know what has changed in terms of how engagement is viewed from the perspective of neuroscience?
Join in the wisdom of our 25 faces of engagement. They are just like you and me. What do they want? What do you want?
If the engagement scores in your team are not what you desire and you want a quick reference to engagement at work, read “Engage me”, get inspired, share it with others and make the change.
I read a wonderful book today in one hour - "Engage Me - Inspirational Insights for Leaders Who Want to Engage". The author Silvia Damiano, is one of my connections and she is a truly inspirational and genuine person, who specialises in organisational learning. Her book is presented in a fabulous style with photographs, quirky cartoons and loads of ideas and activities for people who want to learn about employee engagement.
On my way back to Madrid I have been reading “Engage Me” (involve me, although the verb “to engage” is stronger, something like “hook”) by argentinian leadership expert Silvia Damiano, resident in Australia. A forthcoming book in English and I hope we will soon have in Spanish.
Highlights:
Companies with the most committed people generate more revenue, profit and profit per share. Workplaces with engaged people are 43% more productive. Worldwide, 29% of practitioners show a high level of commitment, 54% not involved and 17% are actively disengaged by (data from Gallup).
What is Engangement?
“Engagement is putting your heart and mind into your work and loving it” - Silvia Damiano. The three E’s of engagement are:
Silvia explains the concept from the notion of “flow” from a brain perspective. “Knowing how to radiate positive emotions is a very serious matter.” Emotions are contagious, for better or for worse. Values are the principles that guide our choices. Inspiration and values are the two main ingredients of engagement.
The second part of the book is about “The Biology of Engagement” (the theme on which Silvia Damiano spoke at the last International Congress of Managing People in Port Aventura, Spain). Each of us is composed of 50 trillion cells. In an environment that nurtures us, our cells grow and glow. In an environment that is toxic, the responses are about avoiding that environment.
The lack of security and depression trigger threat circuits. Engagement has real biological impact. “Motivation? According to studies by Dr. Ben Palmer (Genos International), 53% of employees are motivated by roles where they can make a contribution to society. 43% are motivated to work if their bosses are competitive. 58% are discouraged if company procedures are too rigid.
Respect and trust increase productivity. Social brain (Lieberman and Eisenberg, neuroscientists at UCLA): good relationship with the other activates the brain’s pleasure circuit. 48% of people prefer face to face interviews, with 42%, team meetings face to face less than 10% prefer virtual contacts.
“When we building relationships we create a source of love, personal pride and belonging that makes it easier to live in this chaotic world” - Susan Lieberman.
“Listening is something magnetic and strange, a creative force. When we hear, that creates, expands us “ - Gina, transformational coach. Altruism creates unlimited possibilities and benefits. A purpose in life is magical.
Silvia Damiano’s “Engage Me” book is the definitive text to get inspired on engagement at work.
My own effectiveness as a leader has dramatically increased since I started to take engagement seriously. The person responsible for equipping me with the skills to create a highly engaged workforce is Silvia Damiano.
I have been able to use this knowledge in improving engagement across all levels of leadership from the executive team to the newly recruited graduates in various industries. I have also been able to use it in improving relationships with my family and friends. Collaborating with Silvia to produce the book "Engage Me" is a golden opportunity to share the amazing yet simple concepts of people engagement.
Having recently read Silvia's book prompted us to review our engagement with our own sub-contractors. We are very aware we don't have a business, let alone a productive one, without our valued people and engaging them is paramount.
A particular statement in Silivia's book 'jumped' out at us: "Everyone has distinct preferences and talents. Spending time in getting to know the people you work with and what motivates them is time well spent".
A daunting prospect time wise however incredibly fruitful! Just this one line from Silvia's book has had a hugely positive impact on us and those out there representing our business as we gradually take the time to get to know them better.
Full of tips, insights and personal stories, Engage Me is a book we will refer to again and again for inspiration and one we will share with our clients as gift to them.