Radically change your team's culture with this

Have you ever been so engaged in a conversation you've lost track of time? Has that ever happened at work?

Are you engaged 
No. Not the kind like you are going to get married. But yes, committed. Hooked.
Engaged might mean deeply engrossed in a project or conversation. You lose track of time. This level of engagement usually means you want to be there. That perhaps, yes you even enjoy being there.

Most people are disengaged 
Did you know that less than 2/3 of the people in most organizations are NOT engaged?

• They are not committed.
• They don't enjoy the work.
• They don't want to be there.

As a leader, most days for me it honestly felt like

• I was dragging my team to staff meetings
• pushing them to get their paperwork done and
• pulling them through accreditation 

I think we can both agree there is something wrong with that statistic and with leaders feeling so frustrated. It needs to be changed! Let's take a look at what it takes to turn that around.

Do you listen to the sermon?
My minister often jokes that we can take a nap during his sermon. Sometimes, I'll be honest, my mind wanders, and I think about all of the other things I could be doing. But more often than not, I tune in and am engaged in what he's saying.

• His booming voice, vivid stories and powerful message draw me in.
• I know, if I have questions after, I can be curious and ask him. He'll take the time to elaborate, engaging me in a conversation to help me understand.
• His time and attention to me lets me know that I matter.
• What's more, the work, our congregation, does together, helps me to know I am part of something bigger than me. Together we contribute meaningfully to our community.

What if workplaces were Magnetic?
When I listen to my minister, he draws me into his message, vision and ideas. Imagine if leaders and organizations were magnetic and pulled people in like that? What if you could be more engaging with your team?


My magnetic experience
I remember one particularly difficult time when my team and I were working on a proposal.

• It was a proposal we passionately wanted.
• It could truly mean significant, positive differences in the way we served our clients and we were super excited about that.
• We had deeply engaging conversations about how we could creatively offer services. It was ok for everyone to be curious and throw out crazy ideas. We knew that those ideas would lead to the solid ones we were looking for.
• Everyone had a part to do on the proposal. It wasn't just me off in a corner writing it. They knew they mattered.

It truly felt magnetic!

I've been working with colleague Bill Scott over the last few years to create organizations that are Magnetic! We've just launched our website: THE MAGNETIC WORKPLACE. If you pop over there, you can grab our tips for engaging your team. Make sure to check out the page Understanding the ​Workplace Continuum where we explain the range of cultures in organizations from toxic to tolerable and then to yes, you guessed it... Magnetic!
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