 But how do group leaders keep everyone focused on the activity and continue for it to provide the framework for the relationships that grow within it? And providing a sense of purpose, meaning and accomplishment for everyone who participates in the activity. Dr. Csikszentmihalyi provides the answer in the following quote from one of his books where he points out that often overlooked is the most important and basic of feedback's--that from the activity itself! It is the principle reason that all toddlers are self-engaged until they learn through their school and group experiences to do as they are told rather than think for themselves.  Re-engagement within the framework of activities also explains the passion which performers, whether it be in music, sports, arts, or enterprises, experice from their audiences. Just as with "strengths", where an activity helps a person feel stronger, engagement is the flip side of the same coin in that the activity is the vehicle to feel stronger through purpose, meaning, and accomplishment. Another important aspect of being reengaged by those which you help benefit is that of competing with yourself, individually and collectively as a group. While awareness of competitors can be beneficial, nothing can create engagement more than working to better ourselves. Group leaders can prime the cycle of engagement by leading everyone by asking the critical questions for "How are we doing?" through the principle activities of daily operations. The table below identifies the 5 actions (recipe) which when practiced will help people learn from the activity to build relationships and move toward self-engagement. Once experienced people can use the practice in any group either formally or informally. Presented as simply as "let's ask our customers how we are doing to be better for them". Taking the approach of helping everyone participate in the meaning, purpose and accomplishment of a task well done, encouraging the cycle of engagement, as opposed to directly trying to engage individuals similar to the way one might teach skills in training. 
 Now, taking another look at the picture at the top of the page, the associate is self-engaged meaning that he not only gets feedback from the activity of providing products/services to the customer but also has learned to give himself objective feedback. This ability not only energizes him but also provides purpose, meaning, and a sense of accomplishment for his efforts. Because the customer expresses their gratitude for his efforts it reaffirms his commitment as they understand his intentions. He is continuously learning by reflecting on actions and their consequences which keeps his attention and focus on the customer's needs and the services provided. The associate enjoys this challenge, as does the customer, of making the connections that meet every ones needs.  |
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"Cycle of Engagement" |