Employee engagement is not a one man show

History always has lessons to teach and some vital lessons about business are apparent if we look back long enough.

For example, in 1935 the body of Maurice Wilson, an Englishman who had sneaked into Tibet and tried to climb Mt. Everest was found. He had tried to make the ascent secretly, hence hired only three porters to climb with him.

As the weather got harsh, his fellow climbers refused to go any farther. Wilson decided to make the climb on his own and that decision killed him. Eighteen years later in 1953, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary accomplished what no other human being had ever done: Standing on the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak.

What was responsible for the failure and success of these two expeditions? If you know the story, you would agree that the answer can be summarised in one word: Teamwork.

While Maurice Wilson decided to go for glory alone, Tenzing and Edmund built a skilled team of over 400 people to ensure the mission turned out successful.

What does this teach us about employee engagement? Simply put, a key factor to enhancing engagement in our organisations is to appreciate the fact that managers or line leaders cannot succeed without the meaningful participation of their team.

No matter how good you are at what you do, you would still need a team to make the goal of the unit or company a reality. One of the key responsibilities of a supervisor is to ensure everyone on their team is on the same page regarding what they want to accomplish for the good of the business.

When this kind of understanding is deficient, team members begin to loose the necessary steam and will to accomplish great feats. Part of the critical expertise a team leader must develop is the ability to harness the strengths of the different members of their team and channel it for the good of the organisation.

When this is present, you would discover that every team member would be engaged and excited about the results they are part of creating. But here is the thing: This kind of team spirit and engagement starts with having open and honest communication with your team members.

The Gallup business journal recommends five questions that can help team leader’s kick-start this exciting process of ensuring everyone on your team is engaged.

1. How do we define success?

2. What is the ideal outcome or result we desire?

3. How far must we go to reach the ideal?

4. Which opportunity will have the greatest impact on your success?

5. What is every team member willing to do?

Remember, two or more good heads working in unison would always accomplish more than one good head working in isolation.

So is getting employee engagement still a one-man show (or a one department show = HR) at your organisation? You have the power to change it and today is a good day to start.

Ngozi Adebiyi