Many of the leadership behaviors you practice daily already contribute powerfully to a positive and engaged work environment. These familiar actions—clarifying expectations, offering feedback, or connecting work to purpose—are not only good management practices but also proven drivers of employee engagement. The tools below highlight practices you may already be using—and offer resources to help you continue building on those strengths.
Define a purpose.
Help each employee understand how their work connects to the mission and goals of your workgroup, college, or unit, and to the University. Help them understand how their work is connected.
- Resource: Quick Guide to Leading Teams
Create goals.
Work with your employees to set challenging goals and regularly review them throughout the year.
- Resource: Quick Guide to Goal Setting
Set clear expectations.
Check to be sure your team is clear about their roles and responsibilities. Clarity helps build appreciation and respect within teams and fosters interdependence.
Meet regularly.
Meet one-on-one with the people you supervise to talk about their goals and offer guidance.
- Resource: Quick Guide to Ongoing Check-ins
Offer feedback.
Offer ongoing feedback and coaching to your employees.
- Resource: Quick Guide to Feedback and Coaching
Ask for feedback.
Encourage your employees to offer feedback about your work, the environment, and your supervision.
- Resource: Creating a Culture of Feedback Video
Get to know your employees.
Show genuine interest in their lives outside of work—ask about what matters to them and listen when they share. These small moments of connection help them feel seen, supported, and understood as whole people, not just as employees.
- Resource: Recognizing and Managing Burnout Video
Be transparent.
Share leadership updates with your team so they stay informed, understand how and why decisions are made, and feel valued. Keeping employees in the loop also helps them see the organization's future direction and know what is expected of them.
Celebrate success.
Find out how your employees prefer to be recognized and celebrate their success that way.
- Resource: Rethinking Rewards and Compensation
Share survey results.
Share and discuss results from the most recent survey (either from your workgroup or the next level up in your unit), and remind them of how you celebrated strengths and acted on opportunities.