Earle Airey 00:00:14.480 - 00:00:25.760 Welcome to Victory Leadership, where good leadership leads to victory. Here we help emerging and established leaders win through clarity, confidence, and growth. Let's get started. Earle Airey 00:00:31.360 - 00:24:39.880 Welcome to the leadership pit stop. My name is Earl Airey with Victory Leadership. And today we're going to discuss something organizations have struggled with for years. Employee engagement. Despite more leadership training, more engagement surveys, and more technology, more institutional initiatives than ever before, employee engagement remains stubbornly low across many industries. And why is this? What if one of the biggest contributing factors has been quietly sitting in front of us the entire time? Not compensation alone, not strategy alone, not productivity systems alone, but something deeply human appreciation. Not performance recognition and not superficial awards and not forced positivity, genuine human appreciation. Today we're going to unpack why engagement continues declining, the organizational cost of disengagement, the difference between recognition and appreciation, and why employees who feel unseen often stop emotionally investing in the workplace. So let's head in today's leadership pit stop. So as we await our green flag moment, circling the trap. We're about to start. So. But before we begin, consider these questions. Have you ever worked hard while feeling invisible? Have you ever felt emotionally disconnected from the organization while doing your job well? Have you ever noticed how quickly motivation changes when someone feels genuinely valued? Those questions matter because engagement is rarely about, you know, it's really about just the effort. You know, as far as the job specifications are concerned, the job is the job. And most people understand this. But when we go a bit deeper, we find it's often about the emotional connection. We have this, this engagement challenge. And Gallup recently reported that the global employee engagement has declined again, reaching the lowest point since 2020. Now, that matters, because engagement influences nearly everything. Productivity, retention, morale, collaboration, innovation, customer experience, organizational resilience. Disengaged employees are more likely to emotionally withdraw. They'll search for other employment because initially they're. They're searching for meaning. I mean, we're talking about a little bit beyond, you know, just an average career building plan. But when they leave an organization, they're searching for something someplace else that they can't get where they're at. They may reduce their discretionary effort and disconnect from the organizational goals. The mission doesn't matter as much anymore. The organizational's values do not hold as deep, and the cost is enormous. Collectively, organizations spend billions trying to recruit onboard and retain talent, while often underestimating the emotional experiences employees have in every day at work. But here's the important distinction. Obviously, most disengagement does not begin with the resignation letters. I mean, this is obvious because they're still physically showing up to work. Many times it begins with an emotional disconnection. People slowly stop caring because they slowly stop feeling connected. So what's this? Recognition versus appreciation? And this is where I think there is an important distinction. While they sound very similar, you know, there are some distinctive differences because they are not identical. Recognition usually focuses on performance. You did a great job, you exceeded expectations, you hit your target. And recognition does matter. It's huge. But the appreciation addresses something deeper. You matter here. You are valued. Your contribution means something. One speaks to output, the other speaks to human value. And employees often know the difference immediately, even if that awareness is subconsciously triggered. An organization can have awards, bonuses, pizza parties, Taco Tuesdays, and appreciation days and still have deeply disengaged employees. Why? Because appreciation cannot merely be an event. It must be a part of the leadership behavior and the organizational culture. So when we look at the human condition at work, at the end of the day, organizations, they're still human systems. People want meaning, dignity, belonging, respect, trust and connection. Maslow discussed belonging in esteem decades ago. Yet many workplaces still unintentionally create environments in which people feel interchangeable rather than meaningful. And when people feel unseen long enough, emotional withdrawal often follows. It's not always dramatic. It can be quietly. Sometimes disengagement may sound like, I'll just do my job or I'm tired or what's the point? No one listens anyway. One of one of my biggest hot buttons. That's just the way we've always done things around here. That irks me, but it's understandable. I can understand why someone may say that, because these comments may be shared with other frustrated co workers. Because there is a need to discuss these issues in a manner that they feel safe and that can be of great importance. Just gives them some opportunity to think. And think it out loud at times can be very helpful. And that can explain why people will talk to others who may have little influence on the desired change. Because it's that safe place to speak in, gather thoughts, and contemplate, you know, the situation or what's happening. Because we may have employees that choose to say nothing at all, but they're still thinking about it. The danger is that leaders potentially interpret the silence that's as stability when it really may reflect emotional resignation. Another symptom of this may be leaders who volunteer their assistance. Hey, is there anything that I can help you with? Is there anything that I can do for you? However, ultimately the leader may receive little to no response from the direct reports. And why is this? Because they may not feel that it is worth the effort to say anything that will change the situation. They have a low confidence in that there can be some meaningful change. They have mentally checked out due to frustration, fatigue, helplessness, invulnerability, just to name a few. This reaction just contributes to the downward spiral, especially when emotional resignation sets in. So why does this matter to leaders? I think it's pretty obvious why it matters. However, this conversation is especially important and because when employees experience organizations, they primarily do so through their direct manager or management teams. You can be a great manager and your people can love you. However, as a leader, if you are experiencing some challenges with leaders levels above you as much as you can, try to be that insulator that can seep through to your people. So you may be doing some great stuff. However, your ability to carry it out might be muted unintentionally and people may see this. While things like a mission statement are very important and help to gather, you know, energies in a unified direction, that statement does not create engagement on its own. Leadership behavior does employees notice how leaders respond under pressure? Whether appreciation is authentic, whether feedback is respectful, whether trust exists, whether the communication is psychologically safe or the environment is psychologically safe to communicate, and whether leaders genuinely care about people, you know, whether it's their people, whether about people in general. I mean, we all get frustrated at times and we may not necessarily make the most encouraging of comments and most people can extend grace to others. However, when we see this on a continuous basis, or when there is a long term project that has contributed to this exhaustion, this frustration over an extended period of time, without the communications to let everyone know where things truly lie, where they exist and what's happening, this is, this is, this happens. This emerges because all of these elements, you know, are very important and can manifest themselves, especially during times of uncertainty, which we seem to experience now more than ever. And a lot of that is from information coming from so many different directions. And we're trying to make sense of it and we're trying to figure it out. And we're looking for things that we need to guard against and items like restructuring, staffing shortages, change initiatives, economic pressures, AI disruption in good old fashioned burnout. During difficult seasons, employees often ask themselves an unspoken question. Am I just a resource here or am I actually valued? We refer to the department that oversees the contributions of people as the human resource department. And people are definitely resources, but they're more than that. They're value contributing members of the team. Because these are some of the answers that can help shape engagement more than many real, many leaders realize. Or if the leaders realize, then some of the details that go into how do we, how do we change direction, how do we navigate in a meaningful course change that will help us to get where we need to go and stay on course? Because we're looking at, really looking at, you know, having people feel that they are genuinely appreciated. These are the things that are on the lower levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. And it has, I believe that model has some organic appeal. So in the sense that when we actually think about things like self preservation, if our, if our human condition, if our minds can focus more on those elements that help us to be build up, then the need for dwelling on psychological safety and self preservation can be transferred to more productive elements, like whether it's, you know, creativity or logical thought, processing information in a more meaningful way that helps contribute to the organization carrying out its mission. Because at the end of the day, that mission is focused on people somewhere that we want to invest in in a meaningful way, and they in turn invest in us. It's a, it's a, it's a partnership. So when we look at things that contribute to how people can feel appreciated, it's not just praise, you know, it's not just saying, you know, hey, you're the greatest thing since slight bread. Even if they are, it's not that in of itself. It's things that happen on a consistent basis, like listening carefully, acknowledging efforts specifically. And that's beyond the job specifications supporting development, whether that is actually training so that people can receive the resources and the skills necessary to be successful at what they're being asked to do. Or it can be elements that contributes to who they are as an individual, not necessarily connected with the work to be done, but things that may contribute to others, items that are in their circle of influence that are meaningful to them. So perhaps things around living a healthy lifestyle or contributing to elements that they might be able to utilize to create more effective time management, or so many different items that we can go just beyond what it takes to be proficient with the work, but as we contribute in investing the people into the human condition, that in of itself can. That can produce a dividend that has the greatest value, because then all of these other elements may come a little bit more into alignment when there's a little bit more agreement around how people feel or how people feel appreciated. We want to be able to, you know, recognize those contributions in a way that resonates with them. So some may like public recognition or appreciation and others it, they are fine with just being in a supporting role. And that may, they may feel a little bit embarrassed if they are, you know, if that information is shared like in a group publicly, they may not, but connecting with them is determine what that looks like is important. We also want to communicate respectfully, choosing our words carefully so that we express the right emotional connection with the words that we choose as well as the method in which we make that communication. There are certain things that will go in a text message I would not put in the email and vice versa. So whether it's email, text message, phone call, in person, live, making certain that those align properly to reinforce the message shared. So that's all a part of communications and creating that psychological safety that people feel that they can share without the, the fear of retribution, ostracization, or looking at it from a perspective of leader, member exchange, getting placed into, you know, the out group, you know, so they, they feel that they don't have that good working relationship anymore. We want to make certain that above all that we are treating people with dignity, even during elements of like accountability conversations or discussing outcomes that in the, that occurred in the environment that may have not necessarily been what we would have liked to see, but that there is an opportunity to learn and grow from that and move forward in a positive direction. Ultimately, because healthy appreciation, it does not eliminate standards, it clarifies intentions, it strengthens trust. It and trust strengthens engagement. So when we look at appreciation as a strategic leadership initiative, this is what this conversation and this is, this conversation has becomes, you know, organizationally important. Because as I mentioned briefly before, appreciation is just not making people feel good. I mean, ultimately that's kind of what this is all building up to. But the idea is that it's not in these spot moments of, you know, like complimenting someone. Don't try to force complimenting because after a while it starts to feel, you know, a little hollow. But what we want to try, we really want to try to promote positive, emotionally engaging, influencing actions. Because when we can narrow this down and resonate with the individual that we are, we want to engage and we want to see them engage. It can influence elements like retention, resilience, teamwork, collaboration, innovation, morale, and organizational stability. Because when people feel valued, they are more willing to contribute. Ideas remain engaged during times of difficulty supporting one another and making that emotional investment into organizational success. That does not mean that appreciation alone solves every engagement challenge, compensation. It still matters workload still matters. Leadership competency still matters. That's just to name a few. That's a very short list. I think you get the idea of where that how that could build, because organizations that neglect appreciation often unintentionally weaken the emotional foundation on which engagement depends. So as we're taking that last lap, we've gone past the white flag and the checkered flag is the next. It's the next indication that we are finishing our race. I raised for today because employee engagement is ultimately more than a performance metric. It reflects the human experience people have with the organization. And perhaps one of the most important leadership questions that we can ask is this, do people around us genuinely feel valued? Not occasionally and not performatively. It's not based on performance metrics and not only when the performance is exceptional. Because can we appreciate someone who is a lousy performer? I would say yes, because the appreciation is about the person. And a person just may not flourish in a particular role because that's not who they are. And I can appreciate that. I can appreciate them. And people understand that. They feel that. And this is not just something that is done occasionally but consistently because people who feel seen often engage differently, people who feel valued often contribute differently, and people who feel connected often lead and are led differently. So with that, bring this to a close. I want to thank you for joining me today on the Leadership Pit Stop. If this conversation encouraged you, challenged you, or gave you something meaningful to reflect on, consider sharing this episode with others. And remember, good leadership does more than drive outcomes. Good leadership helps people become the best version of themselves. And good leadership leads to victory. I will see you in the winner's circle. Have an awesome day, everybody, and take care. Earle Airey 00:24:42.360 - 00:25:15.120 Thank you for joining me today on the Victory Leadership Podcast. If you found value in this episode, be sure to subscribe and share it with someone who is committed to growing as a leader. For additional tools, resources and leadership development content, visit www.victoryleadership.com resources the content shared in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as professional or organizational advice. As always, good leadership leads to victory. Earle Airey 00:25:15.520 - 00:25:17.680 I'll see you in the winner's circle.