In a recent Forbes.com article, the Global Leader of Korn Ferry’s leadership coaching group echoes views of other management experts that today’s CEOs need to be Chief Engagement Officers and lead the effort to creating and implementing a systematic approach to engagement.  

 

In a recent Forbes article entitled “Pathways to Becoming the CEO—Chief Engagement Officer,” Kevin Cashman cites John Smythe’s 2007 book, The CEO: Chief Engagement Officer to support his conviction that today’s leaders must engage or die. Citing a 2016 Korn Ferry study, organizations with “highly engaged employees achieve 4.5 times greater revenue growth than organization with low engagement. The world belongs to the most engaged. Human energy fuels drive and human engagement harnesses that drive.” 

 

While there’s nothing new in this article for ESM readers, it’s significant because the author provides coaching services for the C-suite at a time when investor pressures and new ISO Annex SL requirements are forcing boards to recruit executives with a strategic and tactical understanding of how to sustainably engage all stakeholders. 

 

Cashman suggests that CEOs:

 

• Be the change you wish to inspire. Demonstrate your own engagement to inspire others to join you.

• Elevate engagement with purpose. Clarifying the “why” is the soul of engagement. “What” and “how” clarify our roles and focused priorities. 

• Have the courage to go long-term. Engagement requires the courage to think and behave for the long term. According to Aspen Institute, long-term investors, which are 75% of the U.S. public markets, are much more concerned if a CEO announces spending cuts on innovation or research than if the CEO stops providing future quarterly earnings guidance. 

• Make sure systems and rewards support the strategy. Inconsistency between the strategy and the values, systems, rewards and processes kills engagement. Make sure the systems and rewards support people to do what is most important and enduring.

• Identify development and engage top talent. According to a Korn Ferry/Hay Group study, highly engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave than disengaged employees. Finding, developing and rewarding the highest of the high potentials may be one of the greatest jobs of the CEO.

• Balance result, drive and people connection. Leaders under 30 years of age are two to three times as likely to be effective in both results and engagement than their older compatriots. Don’t get “old” in your leadership…Being the chief engagement office” is not merely about measuring engagement. It’s the tangible experience of sharing a more purpose-driven, caring culture where leaders and employees passionately co-create the future together.

 

About Kevin Cashman: Kevin Cashman is the Global Leader and CEO & Executive Development at Korn Ferry, and is a keynote speaker. 

 

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