Employee engagement can be a natural outcome of effective leadership. The result of employee engagement is generally a positive company culture and high levels of customer satisfaction. How do we achieve strong employee engagement?

Here are some key skills to use for strong employee engagement:

• Commitment – the organization must be convinced of the benefit of engagement; a half-hearted effort will result in reduced morale.
• Connect – employees want to know that their leaders know and care about them.
• Collaborate – employees are more engaged when they are part of a team effort.
• Career – leaders need to demonstrate that there are opportunities to grow and develop.
• Clarity – leaders must communicate a clear vision that shows a plausible future.
• Convey – another part of communication, leaders must clarify their expectations of employees.
• Congratulate – leaders need to give recognition more often than they provide correction.
• Contribute – employees want to know that their input matters and that they are contributing to the organization’s success.
• Credibility – leaders must maintain both the organization’s reputation and their own reputation for integrity and ethical standards.

I also write a blog with articles targeted at small- and medium-sized manufacturers. A few months ago I wrote a short series of articles focused on employee engagement and company culture which includes an interesting case study of successful development of employee engagement.