As managers, we are tasked with the burdensome duty of leadership. Some people are rock stars at this, and others, well…others are not rock stars; they’re not sound check guys; they don’t work at the merch table; they’re not even groupies. Some are terrible at it. And as we climb a little higher on the management ladder, we have an even bigger job of instilling leadership in the leaders a level below us. While this sounds like a daunting task, it is possible, at least to some degree, to communicate with those around us in a way that guides the other person to understand our message and helps them to look at tasks with a different perspective. We just have to figure out how to help people learn to engage their jobs and their lives more effectively.

To start this process, we have to remember the most basic Rule of Engagement (according to this author):

People will achieve to the level that they engage, and they will engage to the level that they are accountable.

Humans are naturally curious. We learn, we figure things out, we make adjustments, and through that, we grow. Through this learning process, because we care about what we are doing, we become self-aware. Self-awareness – not self-centeredness – is key to learning how to engage our lives more successfully. Being self-aware allows us to look at ourselves in a more objective manner, from a perspective that will translate into deeper understanding. That helps us see how we fit into the picture, and change that picture if we want to.

Most of us are somewhat self-aware because we were raised by other humans who cared enough to teach us to bathe and have manners and follow rules; we know we have to do “well” at a job to make a decent living, and we know that we are all taxpayers who have to follow some normal human social rules to contribute to society. Some of us are hyper-self-aware, so we over-analyze things, make too many adjustments because we’re too hard on ourselves, and we may lose a realistic sense of self-worth. Then you have those folks who lean more toward being self-centered. They cannot look at themselves objectively enough to be practically self-aware – everything is about them. While all of these personalities are interesting, and certainly deserve more attention of their own, my focus today is on how we take your average, caring human, who wants to do well, and give him/her the tools to engage more effectively.

Self-aware humans are often the best at reading the information of their situation and finding areas to improve – the ones who do that deliberately, and learn to find accountability through their own goals, will often make the best managers (and the best humans). Coaching someone to be self-aware will give him a skill that he can use in every aspect of life. This is a task that is worth the time-investment – not only for the person, but for you, as a manager, or you as a parent, a teacher, or other leader. And teaching him to be accountable provides a built-in tool to measure progress and accomplishment. To be sure, we are all managers of something; you don’t have to be somebody’s boss at a job to be a manager. You manage yourself, your family, your life, your household, your career. When we fail to see that we are in control of our situation, that is when we will start to be unhappy and will feel less successful and more victimized by our lives. Thus, learning how to engage ourselves and our situation is critical to our development and happiness.

Coach your people on how to engage – their task, their job, their relationship, their family, whatever it is they’re involved with – they have to learn what they need to do and how to tackle it. By breaking down the pieces, you can give them a better idea of what they need to do to achieve your team’s goals.

Prepare your team:

1. Identify the end goal of the group. Show them the picture of the puzzle you are trying to assemble.
2. Clarify each person’s specific role and explain how it fits with the other tasks.
3. Identify the tasks for individuals to perform their roles.
4. Define timelines and objectives to determine progress.
5. Step back and let your team work. Answer questions, be available, and make sure they see you working on your part of the project (or your specific job). Prioritize tasks and keep the project flowing.
6. Create a culture of positive accountability. Give feedback and verify that everyone is on track. Ensure that each person knows the consequences for not completing their part of the work, and encourage your team to help its team members when one falls behind the expectations. Show them that being accountable is the path to success.

If you have a worker who does a repetitive task, or maybe a lower-level task, and you never take the time to explain the big picture or check in on that worker, she will only continue to do it as long as she is interested. She will have little fulfillment, no accountability, and will not experience much success or satisfaction. When her interest runs out, she will either find things to be interested in, i.e. drama, or she will accept the task a little longer as the means to her desired end (e.g. a paycheck?, Friday?, socializing?). That, however, will be short-lived, for unless she is truly happy doing that job for the sake of accomplishing that task, she will eventually grow tired of it and quit, create negativity, or cause trouble.

If you do explain the bigger goal, the reason for the task, how it fits with the other tasks that other workers are doing, and how it helps the team accomplish its goals, the worker then has the opportunity to develop a meaningful understanding of her job and may begin to engage at a higher level. She also has the opportunity to ignore the additional information you have provided and continue to engage at the same or lowest level. Individuals who continue to operate in their own little bubble of knowledge/comfort and do not step outside themselves to learn about the big picture, or at least attempt to learn the next step, will know only about that small, private space, and will continue to function without self-awareness, engaging at a stagnant level. But if they reach further and learn the next job/task/level, they will have better appreciation for the merits of their own task, and may begin to extend their tentacles of engagement to broader, more impactful levels – levels that bring greater joy and success. Once they begin to engage, consistent accountability will reinforce their accomplishments.

By helping everyone see that their role is part of the big picture, and by creating accountability within the group, you will encourage each person to engage at a level that is higher than their own task or role. This group accountability helps create an environment where success is celebrated and correcting failure is an effort that your team can work through together, rather than blaming one person (sometimes one person should be confronted, but that is a different discussion). By encouraging individuals to engage at a higher level, you will foster greater levels of success and provide a healthy perspective for them to develop their strategies for communicating with those around them and accomplishing their work. It helps us take one step further down the Road 2 Human.