A young Gen Xer, who, at one time felt totally engaged in his project work and praised for his performance at a major company, now indicates that he has become disengaged because of the actions of his immediate superior. He is eager to leave.

It seems that the supervisor, with copies to other supervisors, and team members above and below the Gen Xer, announced in an email that he was changing the individual's role and making him available as a support person for anyone on the team, in any capacity in which they needed him. There was no prior discussion with the individual, who sees the new role as a major step down from the significant projects he has handled over the past several years. 

This is the latest in a series of cases we have received regarding the general subject of engagement and reengagement, a core training service of our firm, which specializes in issues that affect the productivity and overall success of multigenerational-multicultural staffs and, therefore, their companies.

In most discusssons of engagement and reengagement, the focus is on the individual and the reasons why he/she might not be properly using skills and capabiliities, displaying passion, energy and pride and feeling valued enough to achieve the momentum to successfully complete goals.

In reality, the lack of morale, teamwork, productivity and growth often can be traced to failures in leadership: actions taken without regard to future consequences, poorly thought out communication and inability to motivate both individuals and teams to work together towards a common goal. We know, from various surveys, that there is a disconnect between the management of companies that claim high engagement and the 60% or so of employees (including executives) who say they would leave now for the right job offer.

In fairness, we want to be sure we are presenting a balanced picture and we would welcome your help. Please let us know of examples, both good and bad, of matters affecting engagement in your company, especially relating to your own experience, that we may use in our upcoming engagement webinars on June 24, August 18 and October 20.

Thanks.

Bob Hoberman
President - Executive Search & Training Services
RW Consulting Group
rhoberman@rwconsultinggroup.com
917-434-8179