We've heard it before. Employee engagement leads to higher productivity. And we're surrounded by statistics that prove that employee engagement is at an all-time low in the U.S.

  • 70 percent of U.S. workers say they are dissatisfied.
  • 80 percent of employees surveyed think they could do their job without managers, and deem them unnecessary.
  • 71 percent of managers say they know how to motivate their team, but only 44 percent of employees agree that their manager knows how to motivate them.

Executive coach and author Jason Treu says that employee engagement actually begins with something very simple: trust.

Do you trust your manager? Do you trust your organization's president? Do you trust your business partner?

Another alarming statistic states that 45 percent of workers today say they don't trust their leaders, and that's having a major impact on the team and organizational success. Treu says that if you are looking to increase productivity and maximize revenue/profit, then first examine the trust level in your organization. Today and tomorrow, Promotional Consultant Today shares Treu's insights into building trust with your teams.

Increasing engagement and maximizing outcomes are directly linked to how much people trust others within the group and you, the leader. Treu points out that teams and organizations that can figure out how to boost trust are going to gain a major competitive advantage. The ones who can build a high level of trust will do the following:

  • Get significantly more done because participation will increase.
  • Come up with many more suggestions for improvement and innovation.
  • Come much more prepared for meetings and won't be looking at their email or thinking about what they have to do for the rest of the day.
  • Look to contribute much more than they criticize others.
  • Be much more open to change and new ideas.
  • Help others proactively and be invested in their success.
  • Work smarter, harder and longer leading to productivity and bottom-line gains.

He says the most important component of trust is caring-it's the "secret sauce" to engagement.

The more you get people to care about the people in the group and get them invested in the success of other people, you'll see performance immediately increase. Caring is important because it builds sincerity and reliability. If someone sees you putting your interests before others, it shows lack of care or lack of reliability. It limits or breaks the trust others have in you.

On the other hand, when people believe you put their interests first, they will extend their trust to you.

How do you achieve this? He recommends taking two distinct actions:

1. Create Belonging. This social connection is critical to every human being. Treu says research confirms that disconnection from people will kill you. It's as essential as food, water, shelter as a basic human need. Loneliness is the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes per day. So, creating a sense of belonging is essential to the success of a team.

2. Encourage Sharing. The more people know about you, the more emotionally invested they become. You accomplish this through sharing, listening and asking questions. When you share with others, you become more vulnerable. When you become more vulnerable, you become more invested in others and vice-versa. As a leader, share something about your life or what you are facing. Others can relate to your experiences through shared emotions. And if you conduct activities that can quickly get people to open up and share, you are fast-tracking the relationship- building process.

In tomorrow's issue of PCT, we'll share specific exercises that Treu recommends implementing with your team, and even your clients, to create more trust, more engagement and more productivity.

Source: Jason Treu coaches executives and their managers to be great leaders and build exceptionally productive teams.