What's going on? Why would leadership ever tolerate such stark contrasts in how employees work alongside each other at the same company, in the same office, toward the same goals? More times than not, it boils down to a classic lack of intentionality. It is the responsibility of leadership to clearly acknowledge the workplace culture, facilitate discussions on its positive and negative aspects, and strategize and improve it over time.
Engagement in Action
Employee engagement looks different to everyone. Here are some examples from business leaders who understand the importance of culture and engagement to business success.
What do engaged employees look like?
Here is what prominent business leaders had to say.
● “Energized, aggressive, and creative. Culture means having a passion for our customers, colleagues, and company (3 Cs).” – Brad Morehead, CEO, LiveWatch Security
● “People who, when they get in the cars in the morning to go to work, look forward to getting there four out of five days. When they leave their jobs, they also feel like they have accomplished something four out of five days.” – Hank Orme, Former President, Lincoln Industries
● “People who want to come do work they love with people they enjoy. Engaged employees like working with other employees who challenge them to grow, learn, and build excellence as a team.” – Nicole Bickett, Chief Administrative Officer, Mainstreet
● “One who routinely gives discretionary effort.” – Chuck Hyde, Soderquist Leadership
● “An engaged employee participates in and contributes to the culture of the company.” – Rob Edwards, Director of Engineering & Race Operations, Andretti Motorsports
● “An individual who clearly shows through his or her emotions and communications that he or she enjoys coming to work every day and feels empowered to make important decisions that impact the company.” – Wil Boren, Former Vice President and General Manager, Zimmer Biomet
● “An engaged employee is, first and foremost, aligned to the vision and mission of the company and aware of and energized by how his or her role fits into it. These qualities drive employees to achieve outstanding results for the organization, as well as his or her career aspirations.” – Blair West, Director of Corporate Communications at Cummins, Inc.
● “Someone who takes pride in her work, cares about what she's doing, engages in customer communication, and is present in her conversations and work.” – Laura Angotti, Owner of Rowdy Sprout
● “An engaged employee is intrinsically motivated to go above and beyond on behalf of her employer. She is enthusiastic about the work she does and is an evangelist for her employer. She gets satisfaction from her work and takes pride in her contribution to the greater organization.” – Ellen Humphrey, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Appirio
● “Someone who shows up with a great attitude ready to do whatever it takes to get the job done.” – Clay Robinson, Co-Founder and Owner, Sun King Brewing
● “An individual who goes beyond his job description to help others, seek out additional opportunities for growth, and contribute to the culture both through active participation and interest in fellow coworkers.” – Jeff Rohrs, Chief Marketing Officer, Yext
● “Someone who is excited to come to work every day, believes deeply in our vision and mission, acts like a team player, has incredibly high expectations for himself and his colleagues, prioritizes what is best for our collective movement above individual goals or motivations, and operates with integrity at all times.” – Rebecca Thompson Boyle, Former Executive Director, Teach for America
● “Interested and enthusiastic about work, has meaningful relationships with colleagues and participates in the life of the organization, and willing to go above and beyond.” – Tom Froehle, Chair and Managing Partner, Faegre Baker Daniels, LLP
● “Engaged employees accept empowerment and drive innovation independently and as a fluid organization.” – Scott Kraege, Co-Founder and CEO, MOBI
● “Engaged employees are passionate about their work and feel they are making a meaningful impact on the organization. They have a strong sense of personal ownership and responsibility for the success of the organization. They feel connected to the mission and vision, and they go beyond their core commitments to help others and support the broader goals of the company.” – Terri Kelly, President and CEO, W. L. Gore & Associates
Chapter 2
Happiness Versus Engagement: (Or, Why Free Snacks Fall Short)
Meaningful engagement cannot simply be bought. No amount of holiday bonuses, Starbucks gift cards, or frequent flyer miles will guarantee employees' loyalty and engagement. Frankly, workers are too smart for that. They know better than to base their loyalty on fleeting rewards or accolades. They require a deeper connection to their company, leaders, and coworkers. They want to understand their place in the bigger picture and know that what they do matters and is appreciated.
Most people spend around a whopping one third of their adult lives working. The idea of spending that much time working in a negative workplace culture is insufferable. But the remedy for unhappiness at work is not happiness. It is engagement.
Netflix, Patagonia, and Zappos attract a lot of public attention because of their free massages, surf breaks, and unlimited vacation policies. Those practices are easy to pinpoint, weird enough to make good news stories, and fun to talk about around the watercooler. At first glance, it may appear that these fun fringe benefits make their employees happy. But the truth is, happy employees are not the same as engaged employees, and those perks are not the driving force behind these companies' culture successes. They are only the tip of the iceberg – the proverbial icing on top of powerful, optimized organizational cultures.
When Gallup released their alarming State of the Global Workplace study revealing that only one-third of U.S. employees are “engaged” at work, many organizations scrambled to remedy this unengagement plight, looking for quick fixes and easy ways to increase happiness in the workplace (Crabtree, 2013). Gallup followed up to the frenzy, saying that “Indulging employees is no substitute for engaging them” (Sorenson, 2013). Or as Jim Clifton, CEO of Gallup, succinctly put it, “The idea of trying to make people happy at work is terrible” (Crowley, 2014).
Let's face it: Free lunches and snacks have little direct impact on long-term human performance (Sorenson, 2013). I can be happy at work without acting in the best interest of the organization. Scanning Facebook and catching up with an old friend on work time make me happy, as does saving money by refilling my personal stock of home office goods from the supply cabinet. Happy, but not engaged. We do not need more cool perks, we need more meaningful investment in growing our people. Focusing on short-term pleasures over long-term engagement is not sustainable and may even disillusion people over time.
Any office can buy a quick-fix pinball machine and sit perplexed as nothing changes. Those perks are well intentioned but are not change agents. We can admire the companies who work this way, but we admire them for how thoroughly and intentionally they foster a positive workplace culture, not for a day-to-day focus on fun. These hailed companies don't just brighten employees' Fridays, they engage them constantly. Moral of the story? Focus on strong culture, not free candy.
Ultimately, engagement is about knowing the organization's purpose and our purpose within it, having the tools to perform at our best, and having passion to contribute to our full potential. It is about maximizing strengths, making meaningful contributions, and feeling valued. Even the best office perks will not change a boss who is a jerk, a job with no potential for