How to Build Ingagement through Participation

I am pleased to report that my new book Ingaging Leadership: A New Approach to Leading that Builds Excellence and Organizational Success is attracting a lot of readers, and a lot of attention too. The publisher will soon release a study guide that will help book groups and business roundtables explore the book in depth. An audiobook version of the book has also been recorded and will be available soon.Why is my book doing so well? I believe it is because Ingaged Leadership is needed in many organizations today. It provides solutions to high levels of employee turnover, inefficiency, poor time management and priorities – and much more.Today, I would like to share with you a concept from my book. If you put it into practice, I predict that you will discover for yourself the immediate payback that Ingaged Leadership offers.Building Ingagement through ParticipationWe often hear people say, “If we did everything by committee, we’d never get anything done.” While there may be some truth to that, consider this statement too . . .

“If we never got input from people, think of all the mistakes we would make.”

I think that begins to explain why genuine participation in important projects and processes is one of the keys to success. Encouraging people to participate and plan projects (especially those that affect them directly) can dramatically improve their level of ingagement within your organization.

Here are three steps you can take to encourage participation:

• Start to see everyone as a stakeholder - Talk to people, ask them how they would address problems, listen to them, and strive to understand the issue from their perspective. Remember, the more involved they are in a project, the more they will be invested in its success.
• Use task forces and ideas committees to promote innovation – Create steering committees of thought leaders within your organization to get input, insights and commitment. Encourage people to ask questions like, “How will this initiative help get us closer to achieving our organization’s goals?” and, “How does it align with our mission, vision and values?”
• Look for opportunities for managers and employees to participate in the communication process – Encourage them to introduce articles and other resources to their teams, invite feedback on what they have provided, share information, conduct polls and to be proactive in communications within your organization. 

An Effective Way to Encourage Employee ParticipationDo you have an intranet or communication portal for information, updates, company news, and other information? If so, pay special attention that information is current, brief, clear and worth reading. Encourage people to use this communications hub instead of communicating with each other via email.An intranet can boost participation because it offers your employees a way to learn about company initiatives and activities, and a chance to step up and take part if they want to become involved.