I was in a CEO’s office recently when she told me something startling. Tina confidently informed me that she had checked in with her direct reports and they had assured her that company morale was high.
Her message surprised me because I had spoken to several people on the front lines of the company who told me the exact opposite. They were frustrated about a perceived lack of communication and clarity.
The CEO of a tech company was under pressure to make the presentation of his life.
Despite the company’s success, it was at a pivotal moment in its history. Company leaders felt they had created a transformative new product, but they had to get the rest of the world to agree. The CEO was about to deliver a keynote address to reveal the product to shareholders and customers, and he knew he had to nail his pitch.
Then, he did something unexpected.
A couple of years ago, my then-coach Dawnna was guiding me on growing the speaking side of my business. She asked me, “What have you done to educate yourself about the speaking business?”
I listed the numerous workshops I’d attended and books I had read on the topic. It became immediately clear that the knowledge I had taken in far exceeded the results I had achieved up to that point. She stared at me for a moment, and then said, “The first thing you need to do is stop reading books until you actually apply what you’ve already learned.”
How can I use my authority without being perceived as authoritarian?
In my work with executives and managers, I’ve encountered variations of this question frequently. It’s a common scenario for thoughtful leaders who must make decisions that could adversely impact others.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about what really creates employee engagement.
According to Gallup, companies with highly engaged employees outperform their competitors by 147%. Engaged employees are generally more committed, productive, and likely to stay with the company, leading to improved performance and reduced turnover costs.
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