Most of the executives who come in to work with us are bright, well intended individuals who are struggling simply because they haven’t been taught the tools to succeed – especially in the area of engaging others. We created The Engagement Spiral© to teach individuals how to increase engagement and a sense of ownership in others in 6 basic steps.

 

Step 1 is to Tell People They Matter – And Mean It. 

Step 2 is to Teach People How To Provide Input. 

 

Teaching people how to provide input is a critical part of leading that is often overlooked.  When you want someone to share information with you, your responsibility as a leader is to define the scope of the information you are seeking, create structure so that they can give you that information, and tell them how the information will be used.

 

For instance, if you want information from your staff about how well they think a project is unfolding, you would ask the following to focus their input and make it usable for you:

  1. What are the benefits of continuing with the project as it is currently unfolding?
  2. What are the concerns of continuing with the project as it is currently unfolding?
  3. What suggestions do you have about the project?

 

When you take these simple steps, you are teaching people how to influence your thinking and the course of the organization.  People are often reticent to share valuable information when it is most needed, so it is imperative to establish a culture where people believe that they can influence your thinking and they know how to influence your thinking – especially about important matters.

 

We invite you to take some time this week to consider whether you are giving people ample opportunity to provide input effectively, and influence your thinking.  Next week we will coach you on Step 3 of The Engagement Spiral©.