Many employees today are disengaged, demoralized, depressed, and demotivated.

What can be done to change that to engaged, enthusiastic, excited, and eager?

At Transforming Leadership we are involved with several clients and their Leadership Development programs or succession planning. Frequently a part of these Leadership Development programs includes some sort of assessment such as an emotional intelligence assessment, the DiSC Assessment, or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The assessment is usually coupled with a certain number of coaching hours to help the participant understand the results of the assessment. We also help them identify an improvement plan to take advantage of their identified strengths, and to further develop their growth areas.

I always find it interesting how long it takes for each participant to get around to taking their assessment, how long it takes for them to schedule their coaching appointments, and how engaged they are during these coaching appointments.

Additionally, it is during these coaching appointment that we (the coaches) gain insight as to how the participant feels about their job, their workplace, and their career.

While I have not made a specific study of this, I do have anecdotal evidence of a correlation between the lag time of a participant taking the assessment, and the level of employee disengagement.

Invariably when a participant takes a long time to take their assessment or schedule their coaching sessions, we find that they are not engaged in the coaching sessions, and they express dissatisfaction with their job/company/role/supervisor.

Our next step is to ask them what they are doing about it, or what can be done about it? Nearly always, the answer is: Nothing!

At this point I usually delve into exactly what that participant is doing to improve their position or improve their knowledge. And nearly always, the answer is: Nothing!

This is where we are able to help those employees that are a little lost or disengaged. We use these assessments and coaching sessions to help give them goals and tools to become better versions of their current selves. Most of the time, this helps kickstart them in the right direction.

Do Something to make yourself Better!

I’m not sure whether it is a function of our upbringing, our educational system, or our society in general, but we seem to have lost the idea that we are personally responsible for our own successes. We have lost sight of the fact that whenever we are not constantly growing and improving, we are getting left behind.

The only one that can make you more valuable to your employer, or to your next employer, is you.

There are any number of things that you can do to make yourself more valuable. Pick one. Pick several. But the key is to be doing something by which you are constantly improving, constantly becoming more valuable.

Starter Steps:

Read a business/leadership book.

Ask for more responsible assignments.

Ensure that all of your assignments are under-promised and over delivered.

Be on time; every time.

Read another book.

Be involved in company teams.

Become involved in industry organizations.

 

I completely understand that in any particular organization there just aren’t good advancement opportunities. But with that said, make sure you are doing everything you can to increase your value. If not for your current company, perhaps for your next. Or perhaps, just for your self.