Creating an Effective Engagement Strategy- Launching a 3 Part Series

Work with Kimberly 1:1 to build stronger teams and lead with confidence.

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In this episode, Kimberly Benoit will be kicking off a 3 part podcast series to break down the 3 Strategies of Team Engagement, the ultimate guide to creating a truly engaged team.

Over the next 3 episode, will be provide the framework with some fun reflection exercises to help you get from where you are today to where you want to be tomorrow.

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To learn more about Kimberly J Benoit or how you can work with her, check out her website, kimberlyjbenoit.com, or find her on LinkedIn.

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Special thanks to Esplanade Studios for mastering support & Melissa Argyle Designs. Music by Denys Kyshchuk from Pixabay

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Transcript

Kimberly Benoit: 0:00

Do you have an effective engagement strategy or you have one but you don't really feel like it's getting the job done? Then this episode is for you. Today we're gonna be jumping into a new series all about how to make sure you're creating the best leadership engagement approach to get that retention and engagement. Every leader desires stick around. Can't wait for you to hear it. Welcome to, we've all done it, the podcast for leaders who get the work done, but find the people part of leading frustrating. I'm Kimberly Benoit, author, award-winning former corporate executive and leadership coach with over 20 years in the corporate world. I've seen it all. The good, the bad, and the downright messy. If you've ever avoided a tough conversation, played favorites without realizing it, or just wondered why is leading people so hard, you're in the right place because we've all done it. This is your space for real talk, real solutions and no judgment. Together, I'll share practical strategies to help you navigate workplace drama, build stronger teams. And lead with confidence. No more pretending, no more suffering in silence. Just honest, actionable leadership from someone who's been in your shoes. Are you ready to lead differently? Let's do this. Throughout my career, I've had the ability to work with some truly amazing leaders. I've gotten to see what they do, how they show up for their team, and how that really creates a culture of productivity and just genuine joy in being at work, even on the tough days. Unfortunately, I've also seen people who are truly good humans, but for some reason miss the mark when it comes to genuinely showing up for their team in a way that drives engagement. I've seen it many, many times in my private practice and with clients that I work with, and so that led me to this point of saying, let's pull this together. Let's create something that helps leaders get the engagement strategy basics down. Because once you get these down, I promise you it will absolutely change how you show up for your team and how your team shows up for you.

2:14

So today is the first in a four-part series where we are going to be covering all of the main elements that a leader, whether you're new, established, struggling, wherever you are, this is a great opportunity to sit back, reflect, look at. Your engagement strategy, look at yourself and let's figure out where you have gaps and how we can fill those to get you a truly genuine functional engagement strategy.

Kimberly Benoit: 2:44

Today we're gonna tackle the foundation of why engagement strategies actually work. Genuine strategies can work, and why so many leaders get them wrong. So we're gonna start, we're gonna start with some sobering numbers here. You know, according to Gallup, which we know is the gold standard, a staggering, 77% of employees are either not engaged or actively disengaged at work. So that means approximately three quarters of the workforce is checked out. They're either at best checked out, or at worst working against you. Ooh, not good. And what's even more interesting is that we know when companies have highly engaged teams, that those tend to show 23% higher profitability. Why is that? Because people who are engaged in their work. Actually show up and do a good job, which translates into productivity. So engagement and productivity go hand in hand. So let's be very clear. Engagement isn't just some HR buzzword, it's a business imperative, and we are, we as leaders are responsible for figuring this out and doing it well. But here's the problem. Most organizations think they're addressing engagement when they send out that an annual survey. Right? Um, but let's be very clear. Engagement isn't an annual event. It's not even a quarterly initiative. Um, I remember having quarterly, you know, te, big team buildings and those kinds of things. True engagement is daily, it is personal, and most importantly, it's got to be genuine. So why do so many engagement strategies fail? It's because they lack that authenticity. I. Microsoft, which is, you know, every office place's favorite work application. Um, recently analyzed a hundred thousand employees feedback points and found something that I think is really fascinating that employees can spot inauthentic engagement initiatives almost immediately. I feel like it's probably like kids and animals that they can smell fear. I think it's the same thing with employees. They know when it's just performative. I. And in that moment, you break trust every single time. So let's be clear. Real engagement isn't about pizza parties or forced team building exercises. It's about creating genuine connections that make people feel valued, heard, and empowered. Period. So in the next three episodes, we're gonna break down what I call the three pillars of genuine engagement. The first being showing up with authenticity and presence. How being fully present with your team creates the foundation for true, genuine connection. You gotta have it. Secondly, practicing clear communication, how, this is basically how transparency and clarity, build trust even in the most difficult conversations. And I would argue if you don't have trust, those difficult conversations will probably go very poorly. Third, maintaining consistency. How reliable and predictable are your leadership behaviors at creating a culture of engaged tr engagement, trust, feeling safe in that your leader is going to show up for you. Alright, so before we wrap up today's episode, I wanna leave you with a little challenge. So for the next week, I want you to take note every time you're in a meeting with your team, but mentally, somewhere else. Just notice it. Don't judge yourself. Just become aware and just so that we can be clear. I have done this many, many times. You are not alone. Hence the whole, we've all done it. So I'm not judging you. I don't want you to judge yourself. Just become aware. Because research tells us that leaders typically underestimate by 40% how often they are mentally absent. Awareness is the first step to genuine presence, which is what we're getting into next week. All right, everyone. In our next episode, we're gonna dive into what it truly means to show up with authenticity and presence. It's more complex and more powerful than you might think. So this is Kimberly Beal reminding you that engagement isn't something you do, it is something you embody. Until next time, I've got two things before I let you go. One. If you've ever gotten any value from the show, please leave a five star review. It really helps and absolutely makes my day. The second thing is, if you have any thoughts you'd like to share with me, please shoot me an email at podcast@kimberlyjbenoit.com. I'd love to hear from you. All right, see you in the next episode.