5 ways to stay engaged at work
The alarm clock beeps and it’s time for another day at work. Stumbling out of bed, you shake sleep from your eyes and embark on your morning routine.
It might not be apparent, yet there is a major choice confronting you as you greet the day.
Will it be ‘just another day’? Or a day where you make a difference in your company’s life or (even better) in the life of someone with whom you work?
Gallup recently surveyed workplace happiness and engagement and discovered:
- 1 out of 5 workers is so disengaged that he or she actively seeks to undermine colleagues at work.
Doesn’t sound very productive, does it?
Are you in your ‘best place’ when your main goal at work is to hinder another’s path?
Let’s flip that depressing, discouraging statistic and find ways to bring the best out of those with whom you interact daily.
Here are 5 ways to get engaged (workplace performance not matrimony) and encourage and lift up teammates at work:
- Ask a teammate for his perspective. Got a problem that’s been plaguing you for too long? Swing by a co-worker’s cube or give him a call and ask him for this view. Getting another’s viewpoint may open up a whole new category of insight.
- Get involved in a high-profile project. If you are a part of a high-profile team, you sink or swim together. There’s no time and (hopefully) no desire to push aside a colleague when everyone needs to pull in the same direction to succeed.
- Take chances. Your company wants you to solve the problems that stand between it and continued growth. Brainstorm with others and come up with radical, game-changing ideas to the simplest of problems. Find a way to ‘fail fast’ so if one idea crashes, you can quickly pivot to the next one.
- Show appreciation. ‘Early and often’ is the motto for appreciation. Everyone loves to be recognized for hard work – no matter if he/she has been with the company 5 days or 5 years. Nothing says, “I’ve got your back” as genuine, heartfelt acknowledgement of great effort.
- Find a higher purpose: You don’t just build and sell widgets for cars. You help to provide safety and security for millions of drivers around the world. You don’t just exchange your product for the customer’s money. The customer sees incredible value for the peace of mind you provide.
It’s just minutes until your workday begins. Will you be engaged or actively seeking to roadblock others? The choice is yours.
Until next time,
Dan Naden
