What do you do if your product marketing team lacks employee engagement?

Pinpoint the root cause through feedback and understanding than use methods like active listening to build trust and better engagement. Try to make the team feel comfortable and safe providing feedback and work together to solve the problems one by one

It's crucial to understand why the team lacks engagement. Are they not passionate about the product? Do they lack the necessary resources or support? Once you identify the root cause, you can implement solutions such as providing training, involving them in product development, or creating a culture of recognition. It's important to prioritize employee engagement to ensure the success of the product and the overall company.

Try to identify the root cause, by having multiple open conversations and making the team comfortable to share their opinions transparently and openly. Thus they’ll feel heard and belonged in the team, making them contribute and engage more with the team.

I usually hold individual meetings with my team every week. Besides discussing the main pain points of ongoing projects, it's also the time to motivate and possibly correct the course regarding a behavior or an event that occurred. Waiting one or three months for a super structured formal feedback still yields good results, but giving feedback as projects progress brings more agility and will allow for a quicker evolution of the team.

If the lack of engagement is related to regards and achievements, it is up to the leader to institute a culture that celebrates small milestones, arguably even more than large milestones. Celebrating small milestones comes in the form of recognition that the work was done well and had a good outcome, but most importantly, the communication of this forms how the employee is going to approach to work on a move forward basis. Not only is it a form of recognition, it is a form of ongoing coaching and mentoring. Employees want to know what they’re doing well and how they can do better from both leaders and their peers, ensure that you as a leader have created a safe space for this feedback and constructive communication to constantly happen.

In my experience, "Business is a team sport" and aligning any organization to work together requires them having this ethereal concept of "team mojo". This is hard to quantify but in sports, is often the difference between winning and loosing. What it comes down to in sports is each player being committed to the team cause and playing to their position in a completely unselfish manner. The same thing is true for any organization and to achieve the same level of team chemistry/dynamics in an organization, it requires that a leader set a very clear mission and vision and fosters a culture of collaboration and communication across the teams.

I would encourage you to think about employee engagement from the perspective of clients and customers. Try to have discussions and connect with employees about customers on a personal level. Maybe help them to identify common interests and values shared with customers. This approach can foster empathy, enhance communication, and build stronger relationships, leading to a more motivated and customer-centric team.