Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their very own.
In 2024, Gallup reported that low worker engagement is costing U.S. firms an estimated $1.9 trillion in misplaced productiveness. The message is obvious: The way you have interaction your crew is not nearly morale — it is about efficiency, retention and long-term development.
Early in my profession, I did not assume a lot about worker engagement. To be sincere, I did not count on a lot from my employers both. My mindset was easy: Work exhausting, ship outcomes, receives a commission, get promoted. That was the implicit contract. Effort and time in trade for cash and energy. It was the Nineties, and that was thought-about regular, particularly on the planet of enterprise software program gross sales.
There is a well-known line from Mad Males the place Don Draper responds to a subordinate’s request for appreciation with: “That is what the cash is for.” It captures a sure mindset of management — outcomes over relationships, management over connection.
I lived that mindset for years.
However over time, as I rose by way of the ranks and led bigger groups, I began to note one thing: I used to be not motivated simply by cash. Throughout my years at Citrix, the motto, per our CEO Mark Templeton, turned: “Work exhausting, play exhausting, get outcomes and have enjoyable doing it.” I wished to benefit from the work, study one thing new, really feel valued and chortle with my teammates. And although I all the time gave 100% — even when these issues have been lacking — I started to understand that not everyone seems to be wired the identical. Nor ought to they be.
Associated: High 10 Worker Engagement Methods That Matter
The turning level
My first CEO position at getAbstract was a recreation changer. Out of the blue, I used to be accountable not only for outcomes, however for tradition. We bought a product that gave firms entry to over 14,000 curated enterprise guide summaries, together with the most effective pondering on management and organizational effectiveness. Individuals like Simon Sinek, Lisa McLeod, Ken Blanchard, Mark Miller, Stephen M.R. Covey and plenty of extra have change into common voices in our work and conversations.
As well as, our shoppers, largely (places of work of the) CHROs at giant companies, put our resolution to work inside their unbelievable organizations. Being surrounded by wonderful content material, prospects, cultures and colleagues turns into my model of a sophisticated examine in human habits at work.
Via this, one thing clicked: One of the best leaders do not simply lead for outcomes; they lead with function, which means and repair.
I turned intellectually curious. I started testing what I used to be studying — main with gratitude, aligning round function, creating area for constructive suggestions and development. And the outcomes? Workers confirmed up with extra ardour. Prospects observed the power. Gross sales grew. Revenue adopted.
What began as concept became follow. Observe became perception. Perception became who I’m as a pacesetter.
Associated: The Key to Worker Engagement Is Objective. This is Why — and Tips on how to Foster It in Your Office.
Engagement is a enterprise technique
Too many leaders nonetheless consider engagement as a “nice-to-have” — a mushy talent or HR metric that does not immediately connect with the underside line. I do know as a result of I was one in every of them.
However here is what I’ve realized: Engagement isn’t fluff. It is a strategic lever for enterprise development.
When staff really feel seen, heard, challenged and appreciated, they create what I name discretionary effort — that additional power and initiative that may’t be purchased, solely impressed. And if you create worth past wage — by way of recognition, function, studying and belonging — folks aren’t continuously trying elsewhere for extra. One other means to consider it: Engagement is what makes folks truly look ahead to Monday.
As MD Rafi, founder and CEO of Bison Life, instructed me in an interview: “We began treating tradition like a product — one thing to design, construct and iterate. It was not about conserving folks blissful. It was about serving to them develop, take possession and really feel important to the mission.”
Engaged groups innovate extra. They promote extra. They keep longer. They appeal to nice expertise. They deal with the corporate like an proprietor would. It isn’t simply the suitable factor to do; it is the good factor to do.
Investing in profession improvement is not simply good for morale — it is a measurable enterprise benefit. A 2025 report from LinkedIn Studying discovered that firms with sturdy inside mobility and development packages expertise greater engagement, extra inside promotions and stronger management pipelines. With 88% of organizations now citing retention as a crucial concern, supporting worker improvement has change into a high precedence for leaders who need to maintain their finest folks.
The flywheel of genuine management
As we speak, my crew and I coach leaders by way of this identical evolution. At first, we assist them see that engagement is a driver of efficiency. Then I encourage them to attempt it — lead with extra function, put money into their folks and construct a tradition of which means. They usually see a right away carry. Individuals reply.
After which one thing great occurs: They begin to like the best way it makes them really feel; good! Not simply the enterprise outcomes, however the power, connection and private achievement that come from main effectively.
What started as an experiment turns into a behavior. A brand new management fashion emerges — one which’s not simply efficient however genuine. And that authenticity creates a flywheel of belief, ardour and efficiency. We see this on a regular basis at nice firms we work with.
Restaurant Manufacturers Worldwide (RBI), the mother or father firm of Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, prioritizes a tradition that cares for its crew members so it will probably translate into nice buyer experiences and enterprise efficiency. Jeff Housman, RBI’s Chief Individuals & Providers Officer, emphasizes this connection: “Our tradition is constructed round hard-working, good individuals who care deeply about one another and the visitors we serve. When our crew members really feel supported and valued, they create that very same care to each buyer interplay, making a cycle of positivity that drives our success.”
Freeman, one of many world’s main reside occasion and model expertise firms, exemplifies this method. Acknowledged twice as a High Workplaces USA winner in 2024 and 2025 amongst giant employers, Freeman’s dedication to embedding function and innovation into its tradition has earned it a number of awards, together with honors for Management, Work-Life Flexibility and Objective & Values.
Chair of the Board Carrie Freeman Parsons captures this ethos, stating, “It has been my lifelong expertise that occasions join folks in ways in which depart them extra impressed, higher knowledgeable and higher ready for what lies forward.” This values-driven mannequin has been well known as a catalyst for worker engagement and long-term retention — demonstrating how function, when embedded into each day operations, can form a resilient and motivated workforce.
Associated: 6 Worker Engagement Suggestions for Sturdy Retention
In the event you’re a pacesetter who’s nonetheless caught within the previous mindset — if you happen to’re pondering, “That is what the cash is for” — I encourage you to attempt one thing new. Lead with function. Begin with why. See how folks reply. Watch what occurs to your tradition, your prospects and your organization.
You may be shocked by how nice it feels. And much more shocked by the outcomes.
