Engagement doesn’t just happen. It is usually the result of an intentional strategy. Dealers can raise workers’ engagement levels by focusing on the six drivers of engagement: • Connectedness • Importance • Control • Competence • Clarity • Fairness While each driver has its role, they’re all interrelated and additive — getting the engagement you want comes from working on all six in concert. Learn more about each one and the actions you can take to keep your dealership team engaged. 1. Connectedness: “I belong.” Connected employees know they are part of a team. They trust the people they work with and feel supported by managers and company leadership. Their managers value their abilities, strive to provide what’s needed to grow and develop their skills and trust them to successfully perform their jobs. Research shows that employees’ perception of a company’s executive leadership has roughly the same impact on engagement as their perception of an immediate manager. As a leader, staying connected means listening and being tuned in to what workers need while providing clear guidance on their job goals and honest feedback on their performance. Action: Stay visible to employees through meetings, social gatherings, email and dealership visits. Make a point of connecting with employees even when there’s nothing new to report. 2. Importance: “My work is meaningful.” Employees who find meaning in their work are more engaged. They understand how their job has a positive impact on people’s lives, and they can see where their contributions support your dealership’s goals and purpose. The sales you make and the service your dealership provides allow your customers access to the fundamental need of transportation — getting people to work, helping them get their kids to school, enabling them to go shopping and providing a means for people to socialize. For many dealerships, this is the core component of their purpose, the core reason for being and the source of their positive impact on the world. One southeast dealer regularly reminds his team, “We’re not just selling someone a car. We’re actually helping improve how they live.” Engaged employees find merit in the work they do and look to align their work values with their personal values. Demonstrating your business’s purpose and framing the way your dealership does business in terms of its meaning to your community allows employees to see your values in action and embrace them. Action: Elevate your dealership’s purpose and its goals. Make them visible and communicate them often through internal meetings and informal one-on-one discussions and externally in social media, in the press and in your marketing and online presence. 3. Control: “I have a choice.” Engaged employees need the right amount of control and autonomy to understand the work that needs to be done, have the independence to do it the way they see fit and have the responsibility to do it correctly. Control that leads to success builds confident employees who can take on more, including charting their career path to places they feel most comfortable going and where they can excel. For managers, the trick is to find the right amount of control that each person needs and seek each employee’s input on decisions that affect them. Employees who have more control tend to be more open about any obstacles they’re facing and that leaves them more willing to come up with solutions rather than waiting to be told what to do. And when it comes to team settings, employees who feel they have more control over their work can perform with less contention over job boundaries and roles. Action: Match the right person to the right job, give them control to perform and set clear expectations for success and accountability. 4. Competence: “I am capable. I am the right person for the job.” Engaged employees should be well-suited for the job they are assigned and have the skills and talents needed to meet challenges and complete their work. Carefully matching workers to the right jobs helps them get satisfaction from doing what they do best. Be clear about opportunities for growth and skill development and give employees input into crafting vada.com 11
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