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Be
AMAZING
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That is the question. Employee
engagement is a hot topic right now
because leaders are realizing just how
much the lack of engagement is
affecting their bottom line. According to
the latest research from Gallup, it’s
costing businesses $450 - $550 billion
annually in lost productivity—and that
is only in the US. Over 70% of
employees are not engaged and these
figures are consistent around the
world.
I have spent the last year and a half
r e s e a r c h i n g e n g a g e m e n t i n
companies, trying to figure out why
some companies are doing well,
g r ow i ng , expand i ng , and t he i r
employees seem really happy and
engaged while most others seem to be
struggling. I wanted to figure out why
that was.
Engage is a word of French origin from
15
th century: “en gage”, which means
”
to make a pledge”. When we tried to
find a good definition of engage with
regards to the workplace, none of them
encompassed the full essence of what
we believe engagement means. So I
came up with another one:
Engage: to have full attention,
commitment, enthusiasm,
passion, and purpose for your
work, to be wholeheartedly
involved in and contribute
positively to an organization.
What we discovered in looking at
companies like TOMS, Virgin, Zappos,
PUMA, and Southwest Airlines (among
many others) is that they are putting
their people first.
The focus has shifted from profit driven
to people development.
This does not mean that they are not
concerned about making a profit—quite
the opposite. They understand that
when they have engaged employees
that love their work, they are taking
good care of their customers, and that
makes them even more profitable in
the long run.
In an era where the corporate world
has treated employees as numbers,
cutting costs through layoffs while the
management takes home big bonuses,
the lack of trust in corporations has
plummeted. There is no loyalty or
engagement when corporate cultures
are driven by fear and control…and it is
not a sustainable model. We are
seeing businesses struggling not only
because of the external market
conditions but also largely in part
because of the lack of engagement.
The research is now showing the root
cause, not just the symptoms.
It’s time to find a new way of doing
business.
Which is why we are so excited to
share some of the Most Amazing
Companies on this planet right now.
ToEngage or Not To
Engage…