As a leader, how do you engage your staff?

Engaged employees are essential to a leader's - and organization's - success. Without staff who care about, participate in, and take ownership over the work, even the best leader will flounder. Here are three ways to win your staff's engagement:

• Be modest. Share both your mistakes and your successes. Staff will see that you're both human and don't have anything to prove.
• Show that you're listening. People tune in to body language. Manage where you look and what you do with your hands so that staff know you're paying attention.
• Don't have all the answers. Leaders should catalyze problem solving. Be willing to admit that you don't know what the answer is and invite your team to toss around ideas.

Adapted from: How to Cultivate Engaged Employees by Charalambos A. Vlachoutsicos