The Impact of Effective Leadership on Employee Engagement

Many businesses focus on engaging their consumers, but what about their employees? How do you get your team as excited and invested in the organization’s goals as you are?

Research over the decades shows that when employees are engaged in the work they are doing, they are more productive, motivated, willing to go the extra mile and all-around happier in their roles. However, only about 23% of employees globally are considered “engaged” at work, according to a recent Gallup poll. When people feel as though they add value and are committed to the work they’re doing, there is a much higher chance that a business will experience success.

The trick as a leader is knowing how to nurture engagement within your team. How can strong leadership influence employee engagement? How can you upskill as a leader to be effective in building motivation? Let’s explore how leadership training can encourage employees to become more innovative, driven and inspired than ever—values that will have your business soaring to new heights. 

The Connection Between Engagement in the Workplace and Leadership Style

Many employees choose a career path out of genuine interest and potential for career development. In sustainable energy, for example, someone may join a company because they are inspired by the company culture, environmentally conscious, passionate about climate change justice and compelled by a moral obligation to make the world a better place.

Because such an employee is personally connected to the sustainable energy sector, they are likely to be a willing and proactive contributor. In turn, the results they produce will reflect this commitment.

Leadership and employee engagement cannot exist without one another. In the State of the Global Workplace Report 2023, Gallup researchers found that 41% of employees were likely to “quiet quit” or psychologically disengage from their work because of their relationships with leadership. An equally interesting finding was that employee engagement had 3.8 times the influence on employee stress levels than what location they worked in—remote, hybrid or fully on-site. Engagement has an impact on quality of work, quality of life and quality of relationships to their peers and managers at every level, making engagement a critical component of a positive workplace culture.

By developing a leadership style that stimulates employee engagement, employee attitudes can change from seeing a job as “just a job” to genuinely caring about their work and how it impacts business outcomes. 

The Role of Leadership Training in Improving Employee Engagement

The link between effective leadership and engagement is about taking a proactive approach to the employee experience within the business environment. The aim is to foster a workplace culture where team members are motivated by the company’s mission, the organizational culture and the role they play in the company’s success. Leadership training is one of the best ways to grow your employee engagement skills.

Leadership training can teach you everything you need to know about empowering your people and producing great leaders. This powerful form of managerial development instills taking a hands-on approach, creating a positive work culture, aligning your organization’s goals with employee needs and making space for open and honest communication. Many of our leadership development programs have been proven to promote employee engagement and business success:

• Encore Leadership Experience – Building Harmony Within Teams
• Gettysburg Experience – Influencing Under Pressure
• Gold Medal Leadership Experience – Driving High Performance
• Apollo Leadership Experience – Achieving the Impossible

5 Ways Effective Leadership Can Improve Engagement

Leadership can impact how employees will feel about their work environment, perform in their role and contribute to company success. How can leaders strengthen employee engagement in the workplace? 

Professional Development

Offering development opportunities for employees to learn and grow can play a big part in their workplace engagement. In a Culture Amp Importance of Employee Development Report, research showed a 46% higher engagement result for employees whose skills are being developed in line with their interests. Providing tools and resources for staff, such as coaching initiatives, mentoring, leadership training and consistent feedback, is a great way to increase motivation and have a positive impact. 

Build Rapport

Being personable as a leader is a must if you want to be able to connect with your employees. When trust and mutual respect become a two-way street, your people are more likely to feel heard, valued and believe that they are part of the bigger picture. Research from the DDI World 2023 Global Leadership Forecast found that people who trust their senior leaders are three times more likely to develop new ideas and solutions. Focusing on listening rather than always being the person talking is key for a leader to initiate a positive and mutual relationship. 

Collaboration

Fostering a collaborative environment– where ideas can be shared, opinions are diverse, and everyone has a chance to speak their mind– can be a great motivator for employees. Providing a space for people to work collectively is a powerful way to generate innovative ways of thinking that boost productivity and improve business outcomes overall. With business communication becoming increasingly virtual, Forbes councilmember Alfredo Ramirez believes that organizations must open up opportunities for collaboration. By doing so, leaders boost overall business performance. 

Work-Life Balance

It’s very easy for employees to disconnect from their work when they lack balance in their lives. In The Conference Board Job Satisfaction 2023 Report, having a positive work-life balance was rated one of the most important factors of job satisfaction by employees. As a leader, it’s vital to encourage a healthy work-life balance among teams to keep energy high, avoid burnout and increase levels of engagement. People work at their best when there is not too much of one or the other. 

Celebrate the Wins

Employees are unmotivated when they feel unappreciated. Questions like “What is the point?” are bound to come up if someone is putting in 100 percent and getting no recognition for it. O. C. Tanner’s Global Culture Report 2024 found that employees who were acknowledged for their work felt a stronger sense of belonging, connection to their leader and to the organization. Positive reinforcement from senior leaders is a great way to validate and uplift team members, instill a sense of purpose, and give them the push they need to keep going. 

Measuring and Monitoring Leadership Impact on Engagement

How do you know if your leadership style is effective in increasing employee engagement and overall organizational success? It’s about checking in regularly, assessing what is and isn’t working and making a conscious effort to improve your skills for the betterment of your team. Whether it’s through one-on-one conversations with employees, group evaluations, anonymous surveys or numerical analytics, there are a myriad of ways to get an objective understanding of employee engagement and the role your leadership plays in that balance.

The key is to make sure that you’re consistent in measuring the effectiveness of your employee engagement leadership style. If in doubt, ask. Talk to your employees and see how they feel about their work, and whether or not they are getting the support they need to do their job well. While there is likely to be a bit of trial and error, that’s exactly what it takes to master the art of influencing employee engagement as a leader. 

Sources:

Gallup, State of the Global Workplace Report 2023.

Gallup, What Is Employee Engagement and How Do You Improve It?

Gallup, How to Improve Employee Engagement In the Workplace.
Culture Amp, Importance of Employee Development Report.
DDI World, 2023 Global Leadership Forecast.

Forbes, Forbes councils member Alfredo Ramirez, Effective Collaboration Is Crucial To High Employee Engagement.
The Conference Board,  Job Satisfaction Report 2023.O. C. Tanner, Global Culture Report 2024.