Targeted Engagement
By Doug Van Dyke, Leadership Simplified, www.leadershipsimplified.com
Team members who are truly engaged are more valuable, perhaps, than gold. There are compelling statistics regarding the benefits of having engaged employees. Yet many leaders attempt to motivate their employees by speaking in broad generalities. In their zeal to have employees engaged, these leaders do not share expectations that are specific enough. Former NBA coach Larry Brown was a master at helping his players realize targeted engagement. Here is a quick story.
The NBA has a 24-second possession clock. As such, when a team is on defense they have 24 seconds during which they attempt to stop the other team from scoring. Larry Brown, however, only asked his players for two seconds of defense. That’s right, just two seconds. He put it something like this: “When you are on defense I just want you to be totally engaged for two seconds. When the ball is passed to the man you are guarding, play the most intense defense of your life for two seconds until he passes the ball to a different player. The other 22 seconds enjoy your experience and remember how much you love the game of basketball.”
Larry Brown did a great job of helping his team target specific areas in which they would be engaged. As a result, his players responded and raised their level of engagement. The result? A lot of victories and a boatload of dedicated players.
How can leaders help their people to move beyond satisfaction and become engaged? One answer is to help them target their energy and passion. It is well worth your effort to engage your team members. The result will be an increase in productivity, better retention of key employees, and handsome additions to your bottom line.
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