A simple yet revolutionary concept…it’s impossible to fully separate life from work.
Engagement At Work
Engagement is a multifactorial dynamic that should be considered both within ourselves and within management. Very few people lose their jobs because of a lack of skills or education; the cause is usually related to deficiencies in behaviors—the intangibles—that are not consistent with the company’s culture.
Understanding your personal intrinsic motivators acts as a personal compass to locate and maintain the ideal job that enhances and leverages your skills, interests, and talents. It is an important step in order to reach high levels of engagement as an employee.
If you don’t have these strengths to differentiate yourself from the next job applicant, it’s time to work on them. Some will come easily to you; some will require purposeful, intentional changes to your default way of reacting to circumstances.
Being Able to Manage up
Managing your boss well is a particular trait that will always work in your favor.
Understand their communication preferences, anticipate their needs, prepare them for the unexpected, and don’t bother them with the small stuff.
Being Goal Oriented
Engaged employees go beyond the mediocre, they go beyond the expected and have a highly driven expectation of the company’s goals and how their own efforts fit into the bigger picture.
A great employee takes responsibility for problem-solving, they have a can-do attitude and only approach management with problems after they have spent time coming up with potential solutions.
They don’t complain and remain accountable for their mistakes.
How Management Can Work With Intrinsic Motivators
- Achievement: Challenges with work assignments
- Authority: Give work assignments that offer opportunities to lead or make decisions.
- Camaraderie: Create interaction with teamwork projects, group meetings, etc.
- Independence: Give tasks to allow their own decisions
- Esteem: Give ample feedback
- Safety: Predictable work with little risk or uncertainty
- Fairness: Maintain fairness, as perceived inequities will discourage these individuals.
The aim as an employee is to position yourself in a job where some of these intrinsic motivators are satisfied.
Being Social
Cultivating strong relationships across the company’s departments is one of the most important traits to develop.
It does not mean introverts will not rate; this is more about understanding what your co-workers want and working in a collaborative and productive way to achieve that.
Pitfalls to Avoid
Engagement is not a static thing; it’s a revolving process, and at least 50% of engagement lies within ourselves.
The first pitfall is deciding that what you know now is enough. Given the state of technological change, this belief is extremely self-limiting.
The second pitfall is becoming too reliant on your wage to survive. If you are disengaged, make sure you have the funds to survive being let go.
The third pitfall is being complacent; if you are disengaged, don’t become the victim and blame the boss, the company, or the situation; you need to take action for your own engagement.
Quality And Potential
Having a job is not simply turning up for work and doing your job well.
Other qualities that are highly desirable to any manager will help differentiate you from others and allow you to grow up the corporate ladder.
Even if you are just starting in a low position, take a managerial role in your job and see that things are done as they are supposed to be done, hold people to account, even your superiors.
Stick to timelines and follow up with agendas.
Treat people with respect, don’t “suck up” to your superiors and never condescend.
It seems obvious that an honest and searching awareness of who we are can serve as an indispensable inner compass.
Intrinsic Motivators
The seven recognized intrinsic motivators are:
- Achievement: an inherent desire to succeed.
- Authority: an inherent desire to lead and persuade.
- Camaraderie: the desire to interact with others.
- Independence: an inherent desire for freedom.
- Esteem: an inherent desire for recognition and praise.
- Safety: a desire for a steady income and benefits and a safe work environment.
- Fairness: concerned with equity, compares themselves to others.
Being Productive and Driven
Learn time management well and always work towards efficiency and high quality.
Great employees manage their time well, have daily action plans, and don’t procrastinate especially on group projects.
