How smart leaders create engaged employees

Chris Arline (MBA ‘11) returned to the WFU Charlotte Center to lead a training session for current Charlotte MBA students on Saturday, June 24. Arline, who is now director of client engagement for Dale Carnegie Training, defined employee engagement as “the emotional and intellectual commitment of employees to deliver high performance.”

Arline suggested that the workplace holds three types of engaged employees: fully engaged, partially engaged, and disengaged. He said almost half of employees are partially engaged, but that the one-quarter of fully engaged employees generally competes with another quarter of employees who negatively impact the workplace.

Arline explained that three drivers of employee engagement can make a difference:

• Satisfaction with the immediate manager
• Belief in senior leadership
• Pride in the organization

During the training, he advised the audience to become a leader who drives employee engagement by enhancing relationships with colleagues and gaining their cooperation. He said listening will help build this trust and rapport, which will enhance workplace relationships significantly.