Almost every action we take as leaders either supports or detracts from the well-known six areas of engagement.

We do the surveys, we hold the debrief sessions on the results, we listen (for a while) … and then ….. and please tell me you don’t do this… we try to fix it with after-work drinks, a Friday BBQ, or some other knee-jerk, short-term initiative.

I’m not dismissing the usefulness of engagement surveys. They can highlight patterns and start conversations. But let’s be honest, most of us already know what’s happening before the survey goes out. The data just puts numbers to what we already feel.

Are You a Silo Defender or an Enterprise Enforcer?

Who is your first team?
Is it the people who report to you every day, or the senior leadership group you’re part of?

How you answer that question shapes everything: how you prioritise, communicate, and collaborate.

At LeadChange, we often see three leadership stances at play:
Silo Defender, Enterprise Enforcer, and Organisational Leader.