The Engagement Dilemma: Employee Engagement Starts with Engaged LeadershipAs a leader, your biggest frustration is likely disengaged team members. According to Gallup, only 34% of U.S. workers are engaged. Employee engagement is not only the key to increasing productivity, profitability, and teamwork, but it’s also the key to reducing turnover, costs, and frustrations for organizational leaders.
Management is about managing things and processes.
Leadership is about influencing people. It’s not about the position or title leaders hold. It’s about the leader’s ability to influence others, specifically team members, to align with the vision and to accomplish the mission.
Effective, engaged leaders know how and when to do both.
When those in positions of formal authority such as team leaders, supervisors, managers, etc. are disengaged, they must depend on their title and authority to manage not only things and processes, but also people.
When people are “managed,” they become disengaged. When people are “led,” they become highly engaged. Unfortunately, many organizations and people are over-managed and under-led.
Many leaders don’t realize that disengaged employees are a symptom of disengaged leaders at one or more levels in the organization. In fact, research shows 79% of employees are, on average, 40% more productive and engaged when working for a better leader.
This is because better leaders have a greater ability to positively influence and engage their team members at a higher level.
The level of engagement below is determined by the level of engagement above.
Unfortunately, it’s common for many team leaders, supervisors, and managers to be promoted from within or to be hired from the outside without ever receiving any type of formal leadership development training. They’re always expected to lead, often without ever being taught how to lead. According to research, 87% of managers wish they had more training before becoming a manager.
Blue-Collar Leadership® & Supervision is intended to be a tool and resource for developing those courageous people who step up and accept a position of leadership, most often, without ever receiving any formal leadership training. They’re simply expected to lead. And, they do the best they can.
Blue-Collar Leadership® & Supervision is full of high impact leadership principles that any formal authority leader, regardless of position, title or rank, can use on day one to increase their influence, generate buy-in, and engage their team. It will help you grow far beyond the old, tired methods of traditional supervision and management that are ineffective in today’s workplace. Once you read this book, you will know what it means to be a high impact leader worth following and how to become a more effective leader no matter what level you’re at today.
Blue-Collar Leadership® & Supervision was created specifically to help develop those with leadership positions, and those who aspire to lead, move far beyond traditional management and supervision toward high impact leadership. This book has been intentionally formatted with only 90 pages (30 chapters, 3 pages each) for easy reading and for conducting book studies with leaders at all levels.
NOTE: Maximize Your Leadership Potential: Beyond Management & Supervision is the generic or white-collar version of Blue-Collar Leadership® & Supervision: Unleash Your Team's Potential. MYLP was published after BCLS due to requests from white-collar leaders. However, the content is nearly identical.
Mack's story is an amazing journey of personal and professional growth. He married Ria in 2001. He has one son, Eric, born in 1991. After graduating high school in 1987, Mack joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve as an 0311 infantryman. Soon after, he began his 20 plus year manufacturing career. Graduating with highest honors, he earned an Executive Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Faulkner University. Mack began his career in manufacturing in 1988 on the front lines of a large production machine shop. He eventually grew himself into upper management and found his niche in lean manufacturing and along with it, developed his passion for leadership. In 2008, he launched his own Lean Manufacturing and Leadership Development firm. From 2005-2012, Mack led leaders and their cross-functional teams through more than 11,000 hours of process improvement, organizational change, and cultural transformation. Ria joined Mack full-time in late 2013. In 2013, they worked with John C. Maxwell as part of an international training event focused on the Cultural Transformation in Guatemala where over 20,000 leaders were trained. They also shared the stage with internationally recognized motivational speaker Les Brown in 2014. Mack and Ria have published 22 books on personal growth and leadership development and publish more each year. In 2018, they reached 65,000 international followers on LinkedIn where they provide daily motivational, inspirational, and leadership content to people all over the world. Mack and Ria Founded TopStoryLeadership.com in 2008. Mack Founded Blue-Collar Leadership.com in 2016 to specifically support the blue-collar industries. Clients: ATD (Association for Talent Development), Auburn University, Chevron, Chick-fil-A, Kimberly Clark, Koch Industries, Southern Company, and the U.S. Military. Mack is an inspiration for people everywhere as an example of achievement, growth, and personal development. His passion motivates and inspires people all over the world!
