The business press, books, and consultants’ websites are full of ideas for getting employees engaged. But setting up ping pong tables, installing swings in conference rooms so
employees can swing when they feel bored in meetings, providing free popcorn on
Fridays, and the like don’t do much for the success of
your enterprise.
A
business enterprise exists to fully deliver on its promise to its
customers. Customers, employees and
leaders who are connected is what counts.
The more these three are connected, the more employees (and customers and leaders) will be engaged. Focusing on employee engagement per se actually subtly misconstrues the
purpose of the enterprise. It gets
people focusing on a tangent.
Employees are motivated by making a recognized contribution to the progress of the enterprise. Leaders are motivated by the same thing. Customers are happy when those employees and leaders live up to their promise. Mutual prosperity is the major motivator.
