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effort. Stretch goals are especially helpful in pushing for new skills. Research shows that when goals
are set appropriately and communicated clearly, engagement increases.

3. Aware of roadblocks in the way? Remove barriers to success. Constantly being stalled by things
getting in the way of progress is frustrating. It’s demotivating. When barriers present themselves, they
slow things down. They create bottlenecks that stop things moving forward further down the line.
People feel paralyzed by something that is often out of their control. Clear the way ahead. Be
relentless in identifying protected turf, sacred cows, bureaucratic processes, and resource
constraints. Tear down walls built on “it’s always been that way” foundations. Challenge thinking. Ask
questions. Then ask some more. Come up with alternatives—and show the benefits.

Want to learn more? Take a deep dive…
Hill, L., & Lineback, K. (2011, June 28). Build your group into a true team. Bloomberg
Businessweek.
Jackson, N. M. (2009, April 17). Team-building with a purpose. Entrepreneur.

4. Not sure how people feel about things? Encourage them to open up. Engaging others can be a
challenge if you don’t know what you’re working with. If you want to make things better for people,
you need to know the size of the gap you need to fill. Trouble is, people don’t always want to talk
about why they’re disengaged. The trick is to find a way to encourage people to open up and lay their
cards on the table. Let them know you’d like to help make things better for them. Ask questions, but
be gentle. Be specific—ask them how they’re feeling about something in particular rather than things
in general. Don’t rush them. Be patient. Listen attentively and actively. Use a survey to establish what
people are happy about and what needs to improve. (Check with human resources to see how they
can support you.) Take action to address issues that surface. In 2010, a UK police force did exactly
this and in two years, sickness absences reduced by 25%—equivalent to 18,600 sick days. Financial
savings? Nearly £1,500,000 (Robertson & Cooper, 2010).

5. Not showing your appreciation? Recognize and reward other people’s efforts. It’s hard to
imagine anyone’s level of engagement being increased by having their hard work and achievements
ignored. People like to be recognized in very different ways, but get it right, and most people will feel
good knowing they are appreciated. They’ll feel proud that they have made a difference. It’s hard to
beat the value of spontaneous, in-the-moment, recognition. That moment of catching someone doing
something well. A report, hot off the press, that compels you to compliment the author on their
excellent recommendations. That innovative idea that you can tell its creator led to the rescue of a
failing project. Look for opportunities to recognize achievement and give credit.

6. All work and no play? Have some fun. When the pressure is on and the pace is fast, it’s easy to
forget to relax, to let off steam, to breathe. There’s a time and a place for everything and having a bit
of fun is no exception. Free your spirit of adventure. Cast aside the serious business of work for a
little while. Create the opportunity for people to get to know each other on a personal level. What do
they have in common? How are they different? Who are they beyond their day job? What do they
really care about? What makes them tick? All these things surface more readily when people step out
of a role and become themselves. Learning about people means learning how to engage them. And
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