H to the Third

Have you ever wondered why it can be difficult to engage people? At times when we seek to engage others they seem to totally be tracking with us, yet when it comes time to follow through on whatever it is we’re talking about, it’s like they just looked into the Neuralizer (flashy light thing that erased memories) from the movie Men In Black. Having spent over two decades teaching teenagers, I know what it is like to have what seems to be a very profitable discussion with someone regarding any given topic and when I talk to them later it’s like we never spoke. My wife can fully comprehend this as well. Occasionally, she strikes up a conversation with me while I am watching a sports game on TV. You would think that these days with DVR it would be better. I can just hit pause and try to give her my full attention, but I still have a hard time truly engaging if there is a paused picture of Kobe going to the hole or Favre retiring again, or pretty much anything else sports related in my general vicinity.

Engaging communication is not just having somebody hear what you are saying that is important. They need to actually digest it. Having just re-read one of my favorite books on leadership (“The Secret” by Blanchard and Miller), I was reminded again of the sketch I drew the first time I read this book that I called H to the 3rd or H^3(See stick figure). To me this is the picture of truly engaging with co-workers, teammates, students, family, etc. Truly engaging others means connecting with their head, hands, and hearts. Often with an employee we have hired their hands and have certain tasks that are required for them to complete. We often ask them to use their head to solve problems and make decisions, but they sometimes lack heart or passion for the tasks at hand. At times we might have an employee who is so passionate about their work that they neglect to use their head to do it more efficiently. Others might think a lot about a challenge but are unwilling to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty. When we consider H^3 type of engagement we are seeking to have people care about their work, consider how to do it in the best way possible, and ultimately be willing to personally do what it takes to get it done. If you look at my post from a couple of weeks ago on motivation (http://thebedbusiness.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-motivates-you.html) it comes down to purpose. To truly engage people in a cause or task it will mean capturing their heads, hearts, and hands by modeling for them your own purpose in the cause or task. People engage when authentic excitement is experienced from their leader.

People today have their Fake-O-Meter working overtime with all the craziness of the internet and other media sources that flood us with false or shady information. A couple of key characteristics that great leaders utilize to engage their co-workers are authenticity and consistency. Simply by being real with somebody else there is a connection made. Obviously there are varying levels of information one can share, but people connect with other people- not pay checks and tasks. Employees like to know what to expect from their leaders, and they appreciate it when the work culture can be depended upon to stay consistent. Leaders demonstrating an authentic purpose and staying on task will soon find their employees following suit.