Monica Miller is currently writing a three part series over called The Power of Employee Engagement. Read the first part in the series on Blogging4Jobs. 

The organizations that will increase their workforce engagement percentages this year will clearly understand every individuals part in the piece of the engagement equation. A recent Gallup report defines each individuals roles and responsibilities for assisting companies in reaching this elite status.

#1 Individuals

Take personal ownership in understanding what they want to gain from their role, align those wants with the needs of the organization, and start taking action daily to propel the company to new heights.

#2 Managers

Employers should be “coaxed” in a fluid manner to lay the groundwork for free communication between all parties. This will facilitate the alignment of manager-employee relationships and encourage everyone to concentrate on the overall strategic goals of the company. And begin the routine actions needed to achieve your goals.

#3 Leaders

Consistently aligning corporate speak with personal actions and communicating frequently across the organization to drive the strategic direction of the business. “Walk the Talk. Talk the Walk.”

A Personal Story: Moving an Employee from Disengaged to an Engaged Status

It was the summer of 1999, I had recently moved back to Nashville after a year long contract with Motorola in Chandler, AZ. A large healthcare company’s top executive needed a contract executive assistant for six weeks while his full-time assistant was on maternity leave. This worked out well with my schedule because the company that made me a full-time offer set the start date for September.

I loudly declared my presence as I entered the executive’s office on my first day of work (let’s call him “Bill”). On the sixth floor’s upper west wing, Bill’s office had a large executive desk in the middle, a golf putting green in one corner, and a large seating area in the other. Young woman, you need to lower your voice since others are working, Bill stated as he turned to face me. I moved past his desk and over to the putting green, where I took up the putter club and briefly started smacking the golf ball around. Then, proceeded to say, “Old man, you must be somebody with this big office and that big desk with those big glasses!

Bill stood up from his desk, removed his glasses, then approached and extended his hand. He made a proper introduction, and I followed suit. Come sit down and let’s speak about your experience here this summer, he said to Monica. Bill spoke for thirty minutes about the company’s future, the issues that had arisen recently, the pressing need for XYZ to be finished that summer, and why he had chosen me from a pool of candidates to fill in while his highly regarded assistant was at home taking care of her infant. Bill could have thrown me out of his office on my ass and found someone else to fill the role. Instead, he noticed someone that was in desperate need of a mentor. And, I noticed someone that needed a little jolting from his “normal” environment.

We made some really close friends that summer and achieved a number of objectives that had a positive financial impact. Our manager-employee relationship began with trust and no bullshit, and it concluded that summer with an impact on both of our lives that will last a lifetime. He was my very first mentor, and because of him, I went back to school years later, finished my psychology undergraduate degree, and left the assistant field to work in recruiting. Bill and I kept in touch over the years, and the week after I received my college degree, Bill passed away due to health issues. He recognized the importance of employee involvement very well. And, I will forever be grateful to him for taking a chance on a feisty southern girl from a small town in middle Tennessee.

Make It the Year of Employee Engagement

Over the past few years, the global economy has changed, forcing businesses to become more strategically minded in order to survive. The percentage of employees who are actively participating in the strategic initiatives of the company has a significant impact on the bottom line. Your organization will maintain a cash flow situation if all the components—from employees to management to leadership—are in line with the dimensions, aims, and goals outlined in this article.

Alignment is the ideal situation in which a company’s strategy, personnel, clients, and critical business procedures all work together to spur expansion and revenue. Organizations that are aligned have higher levels of employee and customer satisfaction and deliver better financial results to shareholders. Companies that are aligned concentrate workforce efforts on vital objectives. They displace hierarchy and spread leadership by allocating power, knowledge, and customer information. Every person in an aligned organization, from the executive suite to the front desk, is aware of the company’s strategy and objectives as well as how his or her work fits into those objectives.

Be the company that reengages it’s disengaged employees in 2014 and become a company organizationally aligned that are leaders in the industry!