Disengaging staff members

There was another great post on the Leadership Daily blog. It's all about engaging staff on a daily basis.

In order to prove how spot on the advice is, I wanted to consider how staff can become disengaged:

• Facilitate progress. Staff members feel engaged when they make headway toward objectives. Provide clear goals and resources to support their progress.

When staff aren't given clear objectives they can quickly become demotivated. Without objectives their impact isn't measurable. How can they show their worth? They could start to drift and lose interest in their job. Without goals, and the little milestones achieved each day, it's hard to find success. Without clear goals, resources will not be provided meaning that processes can become stilted.

• Make work meaningful. Your school/organization doesn't need a lofty mission to make employees care. They simply need to see how their actions contribute to the value provided by the work of the school/organization.

'Singing from the same hymn sheet' is a phrase that is often used in schools. We want all staff understand the importance of their work, and how every thing they do contributes to the success. If they don't they begin to steer away from the school's agenda and do their own thing.

• Reward and recognize. Don't wait for milestones. Show appreciation every day for the work your staff members do.

This couldn't be truer. Without acknowledgement, without recognition, without appreciation, morale falls, staff members no longer feel valued and de-motivation sets in. They will often want to move on to find rewards and recognition from somewhere else.