The Engagement Equation: Leadership Strategies for an Inspired Workforce -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants-The Legacy of Buck Blessing and Tod White -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- "We Accept the Premise" -- Spinning Plates -- An Individualized Equation -- A Long Road Ahead -- Chapter 1: What Is Engagement Anyway? -- Critical but Elusive -- Engagement Is Not. . . -- Satisfaction Alone -- Motivation -- Commitment -- The Playing Field: The Job -- MCo = Maximum Contribution -- MSi = Maximum Satisfaction -- Engagement Happens at the Apex -- Short-Term versus Long-Term Engagement -- Factors That Influence the Engagement Equation -- Satisfaction -- Compensation -- Career -- Job Fit -- Recognition and Rewards -- Commitment to the Customer -- Contribution -- Clarity of Priorities and Alignment with Overall Strategy -- Resources and Tools -- Feedback and Development -- Other -- Immediate Manager -- Senior Executives -- Organizational Change -- The World Outside -- Chapter 2: The Five Levels of Engagement -- It Is Rarely All or Nothing -- Two Axes Are Better than One -- The Engaged -- Full Engagement Is Always at Risk -- The Disengaged -- The Honeymooners & Hamsters -- The Crash & Burners -- The Almost Engaged -- The Five Levels of Engagement in the Real World -- Chapter 3: Global Insights and Macro Trends -- Starting at the Top -- Some Departments Fare Better than Others -- So, What Is the Risk? -- The Generational Debate: Those Pesky Gen Yers -- Regional Factors -- The Four-Year Itch -- Some Industries See Higher Engagement. But Who Cares? -- Executives Who Jump -- Gender -- Unions Get a Bad Rap -- Chapter 4: Shared Accountability and Daily Priority -- Why Most Engagement Initiatives Fall Short -- Do Not Separate Engagement from the Work to Be Done -- Everyone Owns a Piece of the Engagement Equation.

Individuals -- Managers -- Executives -- The Organization -- Individuals Need to ACT -- Goals Are a Moving Target -- The Value of Values -- Talents + Work Priorities = Contribution -- Accountability to Communicate and Act -- Managers Need to CARE about Engagement -- Relationships as a Foundation -- The Coaching Conundrum -- A Never-Ending Alignment Story -- The Art of Recognition -- Engagement at Two Levels -- Executives Need to Build a CASE for Engagement -- Community -- Authenticity and Trust -- Significance -- Excitement -- Chapter 5: A Dead Battery Can't Jump-Start Another -- Challenges at the Top -- A Propensity for Engagement -- The Role of Purpose -- When Executives Spin Out of Control. . . -- Who Calls a Time-Out? -- Managing Your Own Engagement Equation -- Reflect -- Ask for Feedback -- Take Action -- Chapter 6: Culture -- Beyond Petri Dishes -- Six Steps -- Step 1: Build Commitment -- Step 2: Create Engagement Champions -- Step 3: Equip People -- Step 4: Align Practices -- Onboarding and Staff Meetings to Define Maximum Contribution -- Step 5: Measure Progress -- Step 6: Take Action -- Chapter 7: Seems Kind of Obvious: Align Your Employees! -- Foundations for Alignment -- Why the Cats Won't Herd -- Disagreement at the Top -- Communication Mistakes -- Disconnects on the Front Lines -- George Weston Food: A Case Study -- Best Practices -- Align Senior Leaders -- Communicate Deliberately and Often -- Communicate for Clarity and Inspiration -- Beyond Leadership Behavior -- Case Study: Mission Is Not Enough -- Case Study: Alignment at the Local Level -- Making Alignment Happen -- Chapter 8: Dialogue and Empowerment Trump Action Planning -- The Virtuous Cycle: Dialogue, Relationships, and Trust -- Sharing Information -- Go First -- X Marks the Spot -- The Performance Appraisal -- The Career Coaching Conversation -- Career Coaching Tips.

The Onboarding Discussion -- Go Slow to Go Fast and Sustain Success -- The Engagement Review -- Timing -- A Flexible Structure -- Moving the Responsibility from Managers to Employees -- Chapter 9: Career Development -- Why Worry about Career Development? -- Engagement and Retention -- Sustained Organizational Success -- What Are Employees Looking For? -- A Youthful Issue? -- But What Are Organizations Doing about Career? -- A Barrage of Career Resources -- But It Is Clarity That Is Required -- The Razorfish Story -- Redefining Career -- Today's Career: A Journey, Not a Destination -- Three Cornerstones -- The Challenges of Career Coaching and Mentoring -- Recommendations -- Juniper Networks: The Art of Lateral Moves -- Rotations -- Stretch Assignments -- Chapter 10: Measuring ROI -- Engagement at Sea and on Shore -- Quid Pro Quo -- Employee Retention -- Not Employee Retention -- Employee Engagement and the Balanced Scorecard -- The Importance (and Lack) of HR Metrics -- Experian -- Nomura -- Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Measurement -- A Mixed Approach -- Three Measurement Points -- Chapter 11: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Engagement Surveys -- Surveys: A Love/Hate Affair -- A Pinch of Salt. . . -- Getting It Right the First Time -- Characteristics of a Good Survey -- Actionable Items -- If You're Focusing on the External Benchmark, You're Measuring for the Wrong Reasons -- Survey Best Practices Summary -- Less Less and More More -- Do or Don't Tie Compensation to Survey Results? -- What You Can Learn from Response Rates -- What to Expect on Subsequent Surveys -- Survey Pitfalls to Consider -- Focus on Actions as a Result of the Survey, Not on the Survey Results Themselves -- Good Follow-Up Actions versus Bad Follow-Up Actions -- Chapter 12: Final Considerations -- If You Are Starting Out -- Guiding Principles -- Start with Purpose.

Secure Senior Leader Buy-In -- Consider Running a Pilot -- Assemble a Core Team -- Improving Existing Engagement Initiatives -- Equip People -- Align Practices -- Develop Engagement Champions -- Drive Action and Accountability with Frontline Team Meetings -- Revisit Your Measurement Strategy -- A Few More Cautions for Both New and Established Initiatives -- Beware the Obvious Options -- Avoid Analysis Paralysis -- Maintaining Momentum -- Appendix -- Chapter 2: Great Days at Work -- Chapter 5: How Engaged Are You? -- Chapter 5: Identifying Your Top Personal Values -- Chapter 5: Alignment with Your Values -- Chapter 5: Do Your Current Job Conditions Support Your Best Work? -- Chapter 6: Do Your Executives Create a Culture that Fuels Engagement? -- Chapter 7: Communication Tips -- Where Are We? -- Why Am I Here (as a Leader)? -- What Am I Asking of All of You? -- Ten Actions for Becoming a Coach -- Interviews and Contributors -- Endnotes -- Preface -- Chapter 1: What Is Engagement Anyway? -- Chapter 2: The Five Levels of Engagement -- Chapter 3: Global Insights and Macro Trends -- Chapter 4: Shared Accountability and Daily Priority -- Chapter 5: A Dead Battery Can't Jump-Start Another -- Chapter 6: Culture -- Chapter 7: Seems Kind of Obvious: Align Your Employees! -- Chapter 8: Dialogue and Empowerment Trump Action Planning -- Chapter 9: Career Development -- Chapter 10: Measuring ROI -- Chapter 11: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Engagement Surveys -- Index.