What if improving one skill could boost your employee engagement and potentially your bottom-line? What do you notice? This question is powerful in the design thinking process. It’s also a powerful question when leading a team and leading yourself. Noticing is observing that goes beyond looking and watching. There is an intentionality to observing that is accompanied by the expectation of deriving insights. Scientists, physicians, and engineers observe regularly - it is a skill that helps them apply their specialized knowledge.  Noticing, really noticing, and deriving insights is an art that takes practice.

Why Noticing Matters Today

In 2024, employee engagement in full-time and part-time employees continued its downward trajectory, moving from 33% engaged to 30% engaged [1]. This three percentage point drop represents roughly 4.8 million employees in the U.S.  who are no longer engaged at work. This percentage is the lowest level of employee engagement Gallup has reported since 2013.  

Low engagement has an economic impact – it is estimated that 8.8T is lost from the global economy (9% of the global GDP) due to poorly engaged workers [2].

Engaged employees are involved, care, and are eager to support the organization. Significant research has been conducted on the impact of engaged employees. Studies show that engaged employees are likelier to stay and contribute to innovation [3], profitability [1,2], and customer retention [1,2]. 

Noticing to Support Others

What would change if every leader and their team members excelled at noticing? I wonder if they may notice the formerly highly vocal and engaged worker sitting silently in a meeting, choosing to hold tightly to new ideas and their personal energy because trying to help change the organization is no longer worth it. I wonder if they might notice a subtle shift in the atmosphere and the tone of conversations or how one team member is always cut off when trying to share an idea or insight. 

 “Last year, Gallup found U.S. employees were increasingly detached from their employers, with the workforce reporting less role clarity, lower satisfaction with their organizations, and less connection to their companies’ mission or purpose. Employees were also less likely to feel someone at work cares about them.”  [1, para 2]

 According to the latest Gallup study , employee engagement continues to decline in the United States, with employees under 35 showing significant drops . Disengaged employees are likelier to suffer burnout and contribute less (or just enough). Would leaders notice the signs of burnout in a team member before it was too late? 

Silence can be a Clue

I will be the first to admit that I’ve experienced that shift from highly engaged to neutral and eventually disengaged more than once over my career. It was triggered by burnout, poor leadership, and an unhealthy (sometimes toxic) environment. I wasn’t loud or outspoken in these moments. I got quiet. I decided the battle wasn’t worth fighting, and I was going to conserve my energy for something I valued more. I’ve also noticed a similar behavior in my colleagues throughout my career. As a result, I am always on the lookout for the silent team members and seeking opportunities to connect and engage with them.

 When I was Chief of Staff for a global high-tech company, I kept a candy bowl in my office. It’s a practice I started during my days in the automotive industry. People would drop in for a piece of candy, and it would often break the silence and create an opportunity to connect in a non-threatening way. We could chat for a few minutes, and I would learn a lot about what was happening, what I needed to pay attention to, and how I might support someone. It was effective because of my willingness to ask a question, be silent, and actively listen. 

 With more hybrid and globally dispersed teams, a virtual candy bowl is often needed. The point isn’t the candy—the point is finding a way to break the silence and create opportunities for engagement and noticing. 

I owe my ability to notice things to my mom, a highly engaged high school guidance counselor. I grew up watching her notice others. She’d check in on students and teachers as she noticed behavior shifts or actions inconsistent with what she knew about these individuals.  She noticed things (of course, that meant my brother and I had to be extra sneaky growing up). 

Noticing and Business Improvement

Noticing helps improve teams, business performance, and innovation. By recognizing the points of friction, processes can be improved, customer service can be improved, and waste can be eliminated. Noticing how music was being listened to resulted in the creation of the iPod—an innovation that was just the beginning of unleashing technology in new ways. 

It’s Not Enough to Notice

As leaders, noticing is just the first step. Once you notice, you need to decide whether and how to take action. Now, other skills like active listening and asking questions become paramount. 

Early in my career, I worked in a high-stress manufacturing environment. One leader told me, here, each day, you are either an a**hole or a hero, and no one cares about what you were the day before. (I wish I could say this is an exaggeration, but it's a real conversation that clearly had an impact.) One day, I noticed my colleague Reggie was going through the motions, still doing his job, but something was off. I asked him a simple question – are you OK? Can I help? That simple question allowed us to connect on a deeper level and even laugh at some of the challenges we faced daily in our roles. Our bosses didn’t care, but we could navigate that environment together. It made all the difference to both of us. 

Key Steps for Leaders: N.O.T.I.C.E. 

Narrow Focus: The world and our daily agendas can be full of distractions. Distractions come in many forms, from email, chat, and phone notifications to competing priorities. Intentionally narrowing focus makes it possible to process information more effectively and efficiently. 

Observe Actively: I love this activity because it can be done anywhere and anytime. I have used this activity with operations students to develop their skills in understanding process flows in their everyday lives and identifying bottlenecks rather than just a line at Chipotle. Try intentionally observing while walking the dog or noticing new details on your morning commute. This intentionality is necessary to stimulate the brain to seek new information in familiar settings and will strengthen your noticing skills.

Tune In Completely: Develop active listening skills by fully concentrating on what is being said, maintaining eye contact, nodding, asking clarifying questions, and summarizing to ensure understanding.

Inspire Curiosity: Curiosity is a design thinking mindset that is vital to noticing. In business, it is easy to apply curiosity to people or processes. Explore unfamiliar situations and ask open-ended questions to broaden your perspective. 

Cease Multitasking: Plenty of research studies now highlight that multitasking is inefficient, yet many of us (me included) can’t kick the habit. To strengthen noticing skills, especially when people are involved, it’s critical to stop multitasking so that you can actively listen, connect, and engage. 

Engage in Reflection & Exchange Feedback: Use reflection to consolidate your observations post-events or meetings. I love considering the following questions: What stood out? What was surprising? What insights did I gain?

Exchanging feedback can validate and strengthen your noticing skills and is a vital component in growth. After a meeting, reflect with a trusted colleague asking the reflection questions above. Exchanging feedback with is a great way to build this skill set when working remotely or in a hybrid environment since the brain works to translate key messages and assess the undercurrents without the benefit of much body language or watching the room.  

Take Action

I challenge you to embrace the transformative art of noticing by applying the N.O.T.I.C.E framework in your daily leadership practices. If you find yourself dismissing these ideas as simplistic, I encourage you to reconsider and take action. You might be surprised to discover that there's still room to grow and learn. After all, doesn't your team deserve the best leader possible?

Let this be a call to action for all of us striving to be better leaders. Share your experiences and insights in the comments below. I love new ideas! Together, let's continue to push the boundaries of what it means to lead effectively in today's dynamic world.

 

References

[1] Harter, J. (2024, April 10). U.S. Engagement Hits 11-Year Low. GALLUP. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/643286/engagement-hits-11-year-low.aspx

[2] Mourad, M. (n.d.). 23 Key Employee Experience Statistics You Should Know in 2024. https://www.aihr.com/blog/employee-experience-statistics/

[3] Thompson, L., & Schonthal, D. (2020, July 1). How to do design thinking better. Kellogg Insight. https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/better-design-thinking-research#:~:text=First%2C%20observers%20must%20identify%20and,find%20patterns%20in%20complex%20stimuli .

N.O.T.I.C.E Framework adapted from the following:

[4] Mindtools (n.d.). 8 Ways to Improve Your Powers of Observation. https://www.mindtools.com/acjxune/8-ways-to-improve-your-powers-of-observation

[5] Maxwell, J. C. (2010). Everyone Communicate Few Connect. What the Most Effective People Do Differently. Thomas Nelson.

[6] Maxwell, J. C. (2014). Good Leaders Ask Great Questions. Hachette Book Group.