Stop trying to make other people happy!

How many times do we as leaders worry that our staff are happy. 

When I work with organizations on building a culture of high engagement and performance, many leaders want to focus on the ‘happiness of their people’. 

Happiness and engagement are two completely different things. 

As you and I know, happy people do not always make productive people. 

The purpose of engagement is to allow employees to reach their potential while building a culture of high performance. 

As leaders, it is our role to create a culture where our people: 

• Understand the purpose of the work they are doing
• Know the criteria which will be used to measure their performance
• Have an influence over the planning and organisation of their work
• Receive information about changes and developments in company policy and operations
• Have opportunities to express their feelings regarding their work or relationship with the company
• Receive encouragement and feedback on their performance
• Have the opportunity to put forward innovative ideas and suggestions

After we have done this, which is a considerable undertaking in itself, it is down to our people to utilize their full potential and strive for that high performance. 

Action point for this week: stop trying to make your staff ‘happy’, create an environment of engagement, and make them accountable for this.