Fostering Engagement During Challenging Times

The demands of leadership continue to evolve, and let’s face it – they’re not getting any easier. Yet through this added complexity, we have gained unique opportunities to shape our organizations and leadership in ways that are independent, purpose-driven and real.

Leadership Lessons Learned

Before reflecting on 2022, I think it’s important to recognize the progression that took place over the previous two years.

First, 2020 and 2021 demanded crisis leadership techniques – command and control to centralize decision-making and communication. Staff appreciated this cadenced approach, feeling empowered within a constantly changing environment. This has now moved to more traditional, cascading communication protocols that have been advanced through lessons learned. Managers not only know the how and what but the why, and have become that vital point of employee assurance and trust.

Second, we embraced the art and science of managing remote employees. Viewed as an art, we found that leaning into employee development conversations was vitally important. We began to go beyond asking “How are you?” to asking questions of engagement:

• Which meeting are you looking forward to the most today? Least?
• What’s one thing you are doing that the team doesn’t know about, but they probably should?
• What’s the biggest distraction for you that keeps you from focusing on your priorities?

Moving into 2022, when every conversation and chance encounter became a scheduled meeting, we lost a sense of curiosity and wonder, as our working conditions did not always support those joys of working. With that in mind, we added tools to track employee coaching and conversations, which gave us an enterprise view of the pulse of the organization, the quality of the conversations, and the common points of celebration and frustration. In order to expand empathy through remote channels, there must be an intention and desire to create independent and empowered leaders.

We now have a mix of communication protocols, processes, a remote workforce and innovation colliding as it never has before, resulting in the reality that everything is now a project. How do we get anything done with the idea list being so deep? For us, it’s leading with idea ownership combined with the ethos that not every idea is worth implementing. Closing the feedback loop has never been more important to ensuring employees feel heard, innovations are discovered and not everything becomes a project. I would rather know something is not possible than see it die a late death on a to-do list.

What Makes a Good Leader?

Recognizing that great leaders leverage influence, modeling behaviors in our new environment is central to encouraging development and retention of leadership. Inspirational speaker and author Simon Sinek once shared that “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.” I believe a good leader leans into purpose.

As you know, credit unions are uniquely structured to allow a purpose-driven mission to be put into action. For me, modeling the attributes of purpose equates to our members and employees knowing where we stand on vital issues of financial well-being. It also equates to empowering our employees through financial well-being, which is equally vital. I’ve heard an analogy that applies well to this concept – in a time of crisis on an airplane, we put on our own oxygen mask before helping others. As leaders, we recognize that a sense of belonging starts with employee financial well-being. If you asked your employees to evaluate their financial condition, statistically it would match the needs of their community’s demographics. We have employees who struggle. What better lesson is there for a leader than to live through purpose by helping those who help our members?

Attract and Cultivate ­Leadership Talent

Building and retaining leadership starts with values alignment. Go beyond table stakes values such as integrity and honesty. Inspire and act with purpose-driven values like curiosity, vulnerability, accessibility, impact, empathy and teamwork. If you have corporate values that provide guidance for hiring, promoting and celebrating, then you already have a basis for advancing your leaders.

Identify strengths and position managers for long-term success. A question I often ask of aspiring leaders is: Are you a manager of people or processes? There is a distinct difference. Traditionally, we often promote employees who are very good at completing tasks, yet managing people is a different skill set. Are there programs in place to encourage and develop each competency?

Be passionate about empowering leaders and employees through critical conversations. Transparency builds trust and leads to a mutual benefit. Are structures in place to create these conversations? Do all levels of management have the training and tools needed to hold these empowering conversations? Do you have a clear and shared agreement on excellence? How do you avoid a culture of perfection while maintaining a focus on achieving quality outcomes?

Engagement drives retention. Asking who is accountable for making progress towards engagement goals may provide insights into the opportunities available. Gallup shared that engaged employees are 70% less likely to feel burned out and 51% less likely to be actively looking for another job. Consider a few Gallup manager-to-manager questions that can begin the conversation:

• What is one action you personally are working on to improve engagement?
• What is the one action you and your team are working on to improve engagement?
• What are you learning about your team?
• How has what you’ve learned changed the way you lead your team?

Again, it’s difficult to be a leader and it’s only getting harder. Yet, from adversity comes great opportunities to create independent, purpose-driven leaders.

Seth Schaefer President/CEO Rivermark Community Credit Union Beaverton, Ore.