Times are changing, in the workplace, in the tolerance level of Supreme Court judges and life in general.
The verdict is out on the attitude of bosses at work as regards employee engagement. Most of the leading data and analysis is on the US workplace population but worth anchoring on in the midst of no specific country data.
The learnings from today’s article would be akin to what Tony Robbins (motivational speaker and personal finance coach) did when the US military contracted him to improve the skills of some of their sharpshooters. Tony had never fired a gun before so he decided to find out the belief and behavioural patterns of 5 excellent sharpshooters (figured out what they all had in common), and then teach himself and his trainees. Scores increased exponentially.
So the latest verdict on employee engagement according to Gallup is that employees with female managers are 6 percent more engaged than those with male managers. In summary, female bosses are more engaging than male bosses!
Rather than poke holes in this data or simply dismiss it as not applicable in your world which is the escapist’s mindset, figure out what you can learn from this and become a better leader whatever your gender.
Quoting excerpts of the Gallup report, it says “Female managers likely surpass their male counterparts in cultivating potential in others and helping to define a bright future for their employees. It does not mean that female managers are more likely to promote their associates, but it could signify that women are more apt than men to find stimulating tasks to challenge their employees, thus ensuring associates develop within their current roles and beyond”
It further goes to say that 41 percent of female managers are engaged at work, compared to 35 percent of their male counterparts. Summarily, women in general are more engaged in their work than men but that’s a story for another day.
Gallup discovered the top 3 things that make employees feel good about their female bosses. They are:
Consistent and meaningful communication: Engagement is highest when managers communicate with employees both about official and life issues using a combination of mediums.
Performance management beyond annual reviews: Employees appreciate managers who are clear on their expectations on every task assigned and help them frequently set work priorities and goals. Given repeated feedback on employee performance in a developmental way is also key.
A focus on strengths, not weaknesses: Gallup also found that developing strength based culture where managers help employees grow and develop through their strengths rather trying to improve their weaknesses is more likely to keep employees engaged at work.
The lesson is simple: whether you are a male or female leader it’s time to begin doing more to engage your people because when employees are engaged, they are passionate, creative, entrepreneurial, and their enthusiasm fuels the growth of the organisation.
Quit being selfish in the workplace – it really shouldn’t always be about you. #ItTimeToCommitToEmployeeEngagement.
Ngozi Adebiyi
