Episode 191: (Leadership Development) 4 Levers of Employee Engagement

In this episode…

Thinking about leadership development… Studies show that 80% of the workforce is not engaged, with 71% of people dissatisfied with their leadership development opportunities. While alarming, these statistics demonstrate the need for employee engagement to increase retention. How can organizations ensure their workforce remains motivated, productive, and aligned with the company’s goals?

With highly engaged workforces, organizations experience 21% profit increases. IT leadership developer Adam Gruszcysnki has identified five key drivers of employee engagement: role alignment, team cohesion, customized leadership, and culture development. During the interview process, leaders must ensure candidates can execute a position’s core roles and responsibilities, allowing them to grow and develop within the organization. Individual contributions drive team performance, so encouraging your team to collaborate and demonstrating recognition and appreciation for their work promotes increased engagement. Team members have diverse learning styles, so Adam emphasizes tailoring your leadership to individual needs. Additionally, aligning team members and organizational missions, visions, and values allows employees and companies to thrive.

In the latest episode of The People Strategy Podcast, Traci Austin continues her discussion with Adam Gruszcynski, the IT Director at Potawatomi Casino Hotel, about promoting employee engagement. Adam shares career development strategies for employee growth, the value of identifying team members’ personal and professional aspirations, and how to show appreciation to team members.

Resources Mentioned in this episode:

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[2:05] How to engage with your team and the workforce

[7:51] Aligning personal and professional ambitions with organizational goals

[13:12] Career development strategies (leadership development strategies) for employee engagement

[16:29] How to recognize and appreciate team members

[22:51] The four drivers of employee engagement

[31:11] Why employee engagement is crucial for organizational growth

Quotable Moments:

“Finding common ground is key. Whether it’s sports, TV shows, or family, it helps build natural conversations and department cohesiveness.”
“When you let employees show a bit of personality, it trickles down to customer engagement and a better experience for everyone.”
“If I can’t go, I’m more than happy to pass along the invitation to other people in the department. Representation matters.”
“Self-awareness is vital for leaders. Knowing your limits and when to bring in others shows true leadership.”
“Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you; it makes your job significantly easier.”

When you let employees show a bit of personality, it trickles down to customer engagement and a better experience for everyone. Share on X

Action Steps:

Find common ground with team members: Establishing common interests, such as shared hobbies or favorite sports teams, fosters stronger interpersonal connections. This practice helps create a more cohesive and engaged team environment, addressing the challenge of disengagement by building rapport.
Create talent pathway plans: Develop clear career progression paths within the organization to combat employee boredom and turnover. This strategy allows employees to see potential growth opportunities, making them feel more valued and invested in the organization’s future.
Implement a recognition program: Establish a formal recognition program that allows peers and leaders to nominate employees for exceptional work. Such initiatives address the need for employee recognition, making team members feel appreciated and motivated to maintain high performance.
Engage in regular conversations about leadership development: Ask employees about their work and personal bucket list items to understand their aspirations. This regular dialogue helps tailor development opportunities to individual goals, addressing the gap in employee satisfaction with development prospects.
Align work with personal and professional goals: Encourage discussions about how employees’ personal interests can align with organizational objectives. This approach prevents turnover by addressing the desire for new job opportunities and increases engagement by integrating personal fulfillment with professional responsibilities.

Adam Gruszcynski is the IT Director at Potawatomi Casino Hotel. He previously served as the venue’s Information Technology Security Manager, where he reduced cyber risk while securing team member and guest information. As a network and security expert, Adam was also a Network Administrator at Potawatomi Casino Hotel, where he supported network resources and secured IT system delivery.

Sponsor for this episode…

The Leadership Development Program isn’t just about theory — it’s about tangible results.

Imagine understanding how you tick and its impact on how you lead. In our last cohort, participants realized they were leading others the way they needed to be led instead of how their team members needed to be led. This increased understanding and trust within the team resulted in a better work product.

The Leadership Development Program offers tailored training covering topics like employee engagement and accountability. Through this course, you will learn and practice ways to build trust with your team and organizational leaders.

Achieving personal and professional goals yields positive results! This program is your opportunity for new leadership to learn and practice the style of leadership that drives organizational success.

Learn more and sign up today!