Both understanding employees and keeping them highly motivated to achieve companies’ business results are easier said than done. Challenges aside, influencing individuals’ commitment to their employers, and to producing the highest level of performance they are capable of, has to be mastered by company leaders for organisational success. Here are three key pointers towards their mastery.

Breaching the Commitment-Performance Gap

There is a link between commitment to organisational purpose and performance, and company leaders play a crucial role in forging that link with employees. To fulfil this expectation, leaders must hold and act from the right perspective of the size and scope of their roles. Other prerequisites are that they must be able to connect with their employees, know what support they need to be effective, and communicate their expectations unambiguously. Leadership that balances and integrates a performance orientation with employee concern is likely to generate greater value for the company, than pursuing either of these approaches in isolation.

Assuming Clear Role Accountability

If company leaders at all levels do not own their roles and function to the expected standard, they will avoid having difficult conversations on issues such as discipline and performance expectations. Such avoidance behaviour will not engender engagement and mobilisation of employees. Another consequence is that first line management will delegate their responsibilities upwards to the next levels of management, and fail to take full accountability for getting the necessary work done in their business units. Their reportees will see this happening. They will conclude that their own managers contribute little added value to their own work. Over time, those managers will experience great difficulty in earning their respect, and the authority that goes with their roles will be eroded. One cannot lead others unless one has earned the right to lead.

Engaging and Mobilising Employees One by One

Various leadership behaviours applied towards energising and mobilising employees, and increasing perceived organisational support, have differential impacts on different employees, at different times. Some employees may have a more intense need for positive feedback and approval than others. Still others may be more driven by future material benefits from the company. It would make the job of managing for performance so much easier, if a singular approach to motivating and enabling employees could be followed. But, experience shows that engaging and mobilising employees one by one produces the best results.