This year’s Gallup Q12 Employee Engagement Survey presented unusual dynamics for me. Though my team’s scores indicated a high level of engagement—largely consistent with those of the past—and my direct reports had high scores in all 12 questions, there was one area in which we as a department were not as high as I would […]
Category: Employee Engagement
Nurturing Open Discussion
Fostering an open environment where people feel free to express their perspectives is one of the most important things that you can do as a leader. While it’s common for people to have different ideas on how to arrive at a shared goal, many often do not feel comfortable sharing their thoughts in meetings or […]
Own the Organization
Leaders often talk about instilling a “sense of ownership” in the people they lead—a pride and stewardship of work that transcends the rote completion of projects. It makes sense. When you own a home, for example, things matter differently than when you’re renting. Is the heat that’s trapped in the roof going to one day […]
Employee Engagement: Why does it matter? Who can influence it?
Though the concept of “employee engagement” is sometimes dismissed by people who see it as empty corporate jargon, it can be so much more than that. With my team at Johns Hopkins, I make it about caring for and respecting my colleagues first. I focus on their unique contributions and talents, with the aim of […]
Out-of-the-Box Perspectives 