Engaged Employees

The link between employee engagement and customer engagement has been well established. So, check this out with that link in mind. A Harris Interactive poll of 23,000 U.S. residents employed full-time in key industries and key functional areas found the following:

• Only 37% said they have a clear understanding of what their organization is trying to achieve and why.
• Only one in five was enthusiastic about their organization's goals.
• Only one in five said they have a clear "line of sight" between their tasks and their organization's goals.
• Only 15% felt that their organization fully enables them to execute key goals.
• Only 20% fully trusted the organization they work for.

Is it any wonder that customer service tends to be so bad?

For leaders, this list should provide some guidance on how to increase employee engagement. What can you do, for example, to provide a clear line of sight between an employee's tasks and the organization's goals?

For employees, the list should provide some guidance on how to make themselves indispensible to the organization. What can you do, for example, that demonstrates you do have a clear line of sight to the organizations goals? And if you don't have a clear line of sight to the goals, what actions can you take in order to gain it?