Employee Engagement Strategies

This Teacher Changes 30 Lives Each Morning Here's Why This Works Every morning, a teacher greets her students one by one - not with rules, but with choice: A hug, A high-five, a nod, or quiet. A ritual so simple. Yet it tells 30 children: You are seen. You are safe. You belong. Here’s what this teaches us about leadership - and how to apply it at work: 1. Honor Autonomy (Self-Determination Theory) When people get to choose how they engage, they show up with more agency. Autonomy isn’t about letting go of structure - it’s about giving room to opt in. Try this: 🔷 Let people set their own work cadence - async, deep focus, or collaborative sprints 🔷 Ask: “What support looks best for you right now?” *** 2. Create Micro-Moments of Connection (Broaden-and-Build Theory) We don’t need hour-long one-on-ones to build trust. A genuine check-in. A name spoken with intention. That’s the glue. Try this: 🔷 Pause to celebrate effort, not just outcomes - a quick voice note, a public thank-you 🔷 Remember small details - a kid’s soccer game, a partner’s surgery - and follow up *** 3. Signal Safety in Small Ways (Polyvagal Theory) The nervous system responds before the intellect does. Safety is felt first. And safe leaders create brave spaces. Try this: 🔷 Ask: “Is now a good time?” before giving feedback or asking for decisions 🔷 Stay calm and present, especially when tensions rise - your tone sets the tone *** 4. Design for Anticipatory Joy (Affective Forecasting) The brain lights up for what’s coming next. The ritual at the door gave students a reason to show up smiling. Try this: 🔷 Drop a kind, unexpected message in the team chat - just because 🔷 Celebrate mundane milestones - 100 days in the role, 50th client call, 1st brave no *** 5. Anchor Culture in Meaningful Rituals (Harvard Research on Rituals) Rituals are memory-makers. They codify values in action - they say, this is who we are. Try this: 🔷 End each quarter with storytelling: what stretched us? what did we learn? 🔷 Welcome new hires not with logistics, but with a story of your team's "why" *** This teacher didn’t redesign the curriculum. She redesigned how people enter the day. You don’t need a big title to lead like that - Just the courage to meet people at the door. 💬 What’s one ritual you’ve seen shift the energy of a space - or want to create where you work? 🔁 Repost to inspire kind actions in the workplace. 🔔 Follow Bhavna Toor for more on conscious leadership.

Real conversations at work feel rare. Lately, in my work with employees and leaders, I’ve noticed a troubling pattern: real conversations don’t happen. Instead, people get stuck in confrontation, cynicism, or silence. This pattern reminded me of a powerful chart I often use with executives to talk about this. It shows that real conversations—where tough topics are discussed productively—only happen when two things are present: high psychological safety and strong relationships. Too often, teams fall into one of these traps instead: (a) Cynicism (low safety, low relationships)—where skepticism and disengagement take over. (b) Omerta (low safety, high relationships)—where people stay silent to keep the peace. (c) Confrontation (high safety, low relationships)—where people speak up but without trust, so nothing moves forward. There are three practical steps to create real conversations that turn constructive discrepancies into progress: (1) Create a norm of curiosity. Ask, “What am I missing?” instead of assuming you’re right. Curiosity keeps disagreements productive instead of combative. (2) Balance candor with care. Being direct is valuable—but only when paired with genuine respect. People engage when they feel valued, not attacked. (3) Make it safe to challenge ideas. Model the behavior yourself: invite pushback, thank people for disagreeing, and reward those who surface hard truths. When safety is high, people contribute without fear. Where do you see teams getting stuck? What has helped you foster real conversations? #Leadership #PsychologicalSafety #Communication #Trust #Teamwork #Learning #Disagreement

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲? Of all the topics people ask me about, executive presence is near the top of the list. The challenge with executive presence is that it’s hard to define. It’s not a checklist you can tick off. It’s more like taste or intuition. Some people develop it early. Others build it over time. More often, it’s a lack of context, coaching, or exposure to what “good” looks like. Here’s what I’ve learned over the years, both from getting it wrong and from watching others get it right. 1. 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 People early in their careers often feel the need to prove they know the details. But executive presence isn’t about detail. It’s about clarity. If your message would sound the same to a peer, your manager, and your CEO, you’re not tailoring it enough. Meet your audience where they are. 2. 𝐔𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Executives care about outcomes, strategy, and alignment. One of my teammates once struggled with this. Brilliant at the work, but too deep in the weeds to communicate its impact. With coaching, she learned to reframe her updates, and her influence grew exponentially. 3. 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 Every meeting has an undercurrent: past dynamics, relationships, history. Navigating this well often requires a trusted guide who can explain what’s going on behind the scenes. 4. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 Just because something is your entire world doesn’t mean others know about it. I’ve had conversations where I assumed someone knew what I was talking about, but they didn't. Context is a gift. Give it freely. 5. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 Early in my career, I brought problems to my manager. Now, I appreciate the people who bring potential paths forward. It’s not about having the perfect solution. It’s about showing you’re engaged in solving the problem. 6. 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 Every leader is solving a different set of problems. Step into their shoes. Show how your work connects to what’s top of mind for them. This is how you build alignment and earn trust. 7. 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Years ago, a founder cold emailed me. We didn’t know each other, but we were both Duke alums. That one point of connection turned a cold outreach into a real conversation. 8. 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 Before you walk into a meeting, ask yourself what outcome you’re trying to drive. Wandering conversations erode credibility. Precision matters. So does preparation. 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 Executive presence isn’t about dominating a room or having all the answers. It’s about clarity, connection, and conviction. And like any muscle, it gets stronger with intentional practice.

High-performing teams don't happen by accident. They're built: Organizations are changing faster than ever. Markets, tools, and expectations - All moving at startup speed. Five years from now, high performance won't mean pushing harder - It'll mean leading smarter. And your most important asset in doing that is your people. To fully support them - and get the most out of them, You have to have a strong workplace culture. Here's your playbook to get ahead: ↳The 11 habits that define high-performing teams ↳Why they drive lasting results (not burnout) ↳How to start building each one this quarter 1. Clarity ↳What: Everyone knowing what success looks like ↳Why: People can't perform if they're guessing ↳How: Start each week with a 10-minute top 3 priorities sync 2. Standards ↳What: Clear expectations for quality, behavior, and consistency ↳Why: Culture slips where standards blur ↳How: Document what great looks like for key workflows 3. Feedback ↳What: Frequent, specific, two-way performance conversations ↳Why: Improvement happens in short loops, not annual reviews ↳How: End each 1:1 with "One thing I can do better, one thing you can" 4. Ownership ↳What: People own outcomes, not just their assigned tasks ↳Why: Accountability without agency creates frustration ↳How: When delegating, give the "what" and "why," then ask their plan for the "how" 5. Compassion ↳What: Caring about people as people - not just employees ↳Why: It's the right thing to do - and it dramatically increases productivity ↳How: Ask about people's lives outside of work and plan times to connect 6. Recognition ↳What: Effort and progress are noticed publicly and often ↳Why: What gets recognized gets repeated ↳How: End Fridays with a 5-minute effort, learning, impact shoutout 7. Energy ↳What: Work rhythms that allow sustained focus and recovery ↳Why: Burnout destroys consistency faster than failure ↳How: Check capacity in 1:1s - "Where's your energy 1-10?" 8. Communication ↳What: Information flows clearly and openly to everyone who needs it ↳Why: Confusion costs more than conflict ↳How: Post updates in shared docs - publish key decisions and metrics 9. Growth ↳What: Every person building skills that serve both them and the org ↳Why: Growth keeps people engaged and performance compounding ↳How: Set one growth goal per quarter per person - review progress like any KPI 10. Autonomy ↳What: Trusting people to decide how to reach outcomes ↳Why: Ownership drives innovation - safety allows dissent ↳How: Ask, "What support or context do you need?" and create space for disagreement 11. Rituals ↳What: Regular moments that reinforce values and pace ↳Why: Habits shape culture more than slogans do ↳How: Create one recurring ritual per value Start now - Culture compounds exponentially. Which of these 11 could move your team forward fastest? --- ♻️ Repost to help more leaders build their team's culture. And follow me George Stern for more workplace culture insights.

Performance conversations are more than evaluations—they're opportunities to inspire reflection, growth, and clarity. I've been reflecting on how we can approach these moments with greater purpose.   Too often, we dive into discussions focused solely on outcomes or metrics. But what if we paused to look deeper? What if we encouraged employees—and ourselves—to approach these moments from different vantage points: stepping back to observe like a fly on the wall, zooming out to the balcony for perspective, and then engaging with purpose on the dance floor?   This layered approach challenges us to ask meaningful questions: "What patterns am I noticing? How do my efforts align with broader goals? What could I do better?" It’s a mindset shift that transforms performance conversations into opportunities for growth, even when outcomes aren’t ideal. Here are a few practical ways to bring this perspective to life: 1. Start with Observation (Fly on the Wall): Before diving into feedback, encourage employees to reflect on their contributions objectively. Ask questions like " What moments felt like your strongest? What would you approach differently? help set a tone of self-awareness." 2. Zoom Out to the Bigger Picture (Balcony): Help employees see how their work connects to broader team and organizational goals. This shift in perspective ensures the conversation isn’t just about isolated outcomes but about long-term impact and alignment. 3. Engage with Purpose (Dance Floor): End every conversation with actionable steps and encouragement. Even when feedback is tough, leave employees with clarity and optimism. A simple affirmation like "I believe in your ability to grow from this", can turn a challenging moment into a catalyst for improvement. Performance conversations are a dance between reflection and action, but they’re also about perspective—knowing when to step back, when to zoom out, and when to engage fully. When we guide our teams to critique their own contributions—not to judge, but to grow—we unlock their potential and leave them inspired to improve. Would love to hear your perspective.

What really makes people happy at work? Hint: It’s not free snacks or ping-pong tables. Research across 50+ countries finds six fundamental drivers that shape how we feel at work: 1: Development and security: Opportunities for growth, advancement, and job stability. 2: Relationships: Supportive, high-quality connections with managers and coworkers. 3: Independence and flexibility: Control over when, where, and how we work. 4: Variety and fulfillment: Engaging, interesting work that uses our skills. 5: Earnings and benefits: Fair pay and access to benefits that ensure stability. 6: Risk, health, and safety: Physical and psychological security in the workplace Among these drivers, relationships are critical for employee well-being (even more important than other factors like pay!). If you want your employees to be happier at work, focus on fostering a sense of belonging and making your employees feel supported. 👉 For more insights into what really drives workplace wellbeing, check out “Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters” by Emmanuel De Neve and George Ward.

Your best employees usually quit before they resign. Not officially.. Quietly. First they stop sharing ideas. Then they stop pushing back. Then they stop volunteering for the extra thing. Then they stop bringing their full energy into the room. And eventually, they stop believing anything will change. By the time their resignation’s given, they may have really left months ago.. That’s the part companies miss. They think turnover starts with the two-week notice. But a lot of the time, it starts much earlier. When trust starts to fade. When burnout keeps building. When someone feels unheard. When they realize their feedback goes nowhere. When they stop bringing up the things they used to care enough to fix. This is why relying on one annual engagement survey creates such a massive blind spot. People don’t disengage once a year. They disengage in the spaces between surveys. After a reorg. After a manager change. After comp frustration. After a heavy season where no one checked in. After saying the same thing three times and watching nothing happen. And honestly, a lot of these people wanted to stay. I know I did.. They just needed to know someone was listening and cared while they still had the energy to tell the truth. That’s where the old way starts to break. One survey. One snapshot. One report. Months later. By then, the people with the clearest signal may already be gone or checked out. Better teams build a listening rhythm. They check in before the exit interview, notice when sentiment changes, and connect feedback across the employee experience. They give HR and leadership a clearer read on what is actually happening while there is still time to do something useful with it. That’s where SurveyMonkey programs fit. SurveyMonkey programs help teams move from one-off surveys to continuous listening, so they can connect related surveys, track trends over time and understand what’s changing before quiet disengagement becomes a bigger culture and retention problem. Because the goal isn’t more surveys. It’s better signal, better timing. Better decisions. And a workplace where people feel heard before they feel done.. Here’s how to stop losing your top talent: https://lnkd.in/ePaERERF シ #SurveyMonkeyPartner #HR

For my first 16 years in tech sales, I averaged 240K/year W2 income. In my last 4 years, I averaged 720K/year. In order to triple my income, I had to change my sales approach entirely. Here's what I changed: I started using a new approach that I now call Yo-yo selling: 🪀 Yo-yo selling emphasizes starting at the executive level, conducting thorough discovery within the organization, and then returning to the executive with a tailored business case. Like holding a yo-yo, you are constantly in communication with the Executive Sponsor and updating them as you collect information and conduct deep discovery lower down in their organization. You are literally going up and down the organization, but always taking everything back to the Executive Sponsor to surface your findings along the way. Here's a breakdown of the framework: 🎯 𝐈𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐤’𝐬 “𝐘𝐨-𝐘𝐨 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠” 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 This strategy involves a three-step process: 1. Start at the Top (Executive Engagement) Initiate contact with a senior executive to understand their most pressing challenges, the reasons behind the need for change, and the consequences of inaction. If your solution aligns with their needs, secure their sponsorship for further discovery within their organization. To secure the Executive Meetings, it's essential to create a tailored POV (point of view) on where you think you may be able to help them based on your initial research of their highest level goals and priorities. Chat GPT has made this research a LOT faster now. 2. Conduct In-Depth Discovery (Middle Management) Engage with department heads and key stakeholders to uncover the day-to-day challenges they face. Focus on understanding their processes, pain points, and the implications of current inefficiencies. Gather direct quotes and insights to build a comprehensive view of the organization's needs. 3. Return to the Executive (Present Findings) Compile the insights gathered into an executive summary and business case. Present this to the executive sponsor, highlighting how your solution addresses the identified challenges. Tailor your demonstration to focus solely on relevant aspects that solve their specific problems. 🚀 Why It Works 1. Accelerates Sales Cycles: Engaging executives early ensures alignment and expedites decision-making. 2. Builds Credibility: Demonstrates a deep understanding of the organization's challenges and showcases a tailored solution. 3. Facilitates Internal Buy-In: By involving various stakeholders, you ensure that the solution meets the needs of all parties, increasing the likelihood of adoption. I'm pleased to share that that Yo-yo selling was recently awarded as a Top 15 Sales Tactic of All Time by 30 Minutes to President's Club, and I received a cool plaque for entering the 30MPC Hall of Fame. Since I have no chance of entering the Hall of Fame for my baseball or golf game, this is a nice consolation prize 😁

Teams will increasingly include both humans and AI agents. We need to learn how best to configure them. A new Stanford University paper "ChatCollab: Exploring Collaboration Between Humans and AI Agents in Software Teams" reveals a range of useful insights. A few highlights: 💡 Human-AI Role Differentiation Fosters Collaboration. Assigning distinct roles to AI agents and humans in teams, such as CEO, Product Manager, and Developer, mirrors traditional team dynamics. This structure helps define responsibilities, ensures alignment with workflows, and allows humans to seamlessly integrate by adopting any role. This fosters a peer-like collaboration environment where humans can both guide and learn from AI agents. 🎯 Prompts Shape Team Interaction Styles. The configuration of AI agent prompts significantly influences collaboration dynamics. For example, emphasizing "asking for opinions" in prompts increased such interactions by 600%. This demonstrates that thoughtfully designed role-specific and behavioral prompts can fine-tune team dynamics, enabling targeted improvements in communication and decision-making efficiency. 🔄 Iterative Feedback Mechanisms Improve Team Performance. Human team members in roles such as clients or supervisors can provide real-time feedback to AI agents. This iterative process ensures agents refine their output, ask pertinent questions, and follow expected workflows. Such interaction not only improves project outcomes but also builds trust and adaptability in mixed teams. 🌟 Autonomy Balances Initiative and Dependence. ChatCollab’s AI agents exhibit autonomy by independently deciding when to act or wait based on their roles. For example, developers wait for PRDs before coding, avoiding redundant work. Ensuring that agents understand role-specific dependencies and workflows optimizes productivity while maintaining alignment with human expectations. 📊 Tailored Role Assignments Enhance Human Learning. Humans in teams can act as coaches, mentors, or peers to AI agents. This dynamic enables human participants to refine leadership and communication skills, while AI agents serve as practice partners or mentees. Configuring teams to simulate these dynamics provides dual benefits: skill development for humans and improved agent outputs through feedback. 🔍 Measurable Dynamics Enable Continuous Improvement. Collaboration analysis using frameworks like Bales’ Interaction Process reveals actionable patterns in human-AI interactions. For example, tracking increases in opinion-sharing and other key metrics allows iterative configuration and optimization of combined teams. 💬 Transparent Communication Channels Empower Humans. Using shared platforms like Slack for all human and AI interactions ensures transparency and inclusivity. Humans can easily observe agent reasoning and intervene when necessary, while agents remain responsive to human queries. Link to paper in comments.

Just as with may of my industry peers, we are moving from how to optimize on an existing TA strategy to how do we rethink the entire purpose of our function.  We all know more than ever that it's not about filling roles fast-  it's about strengthening organizational capability.  Talent acquisition is moving faster than ever from a fulfillment function into a strategic talent engine. The metrics that matter are changing: organizations are moving away from time-to-fill and cost-per-hire and toward actual business outcomes. Josh Bersin's latest research emphasizing talent density is THE point. In practice, that's combining efficiency with effectiveness. It's precision workforce planning — sharing data and intelligence across HR, TA, and the business to understand where talent is best deployed, not just where there's an open req. It means moving beyond filling requisitions to optimizing the health and strategic value of the entire talent pool. Here's what that looks like operationally at ServiceNow: we're designing approaches to strategically move talent across the business to where it's most needed. Not defaulting to external hiring. Not settling for misalignment. Building organizational capability by placing the right people in roles where they can have the highest impact. ServiceNow University gives people the skills foundation. And talent density compounds when you're deploying those capabilities strategically at enterprise scale - solving transformation problems for 8,800+ customers, where the impact of strategic placement ripples company-wide. That's when talent becomes genuinely valuable. The organizations that emerge transformed won't be the ones who hired the fastest. They'll be the ones who optimized for talent density and who strengthened enterprise capability by moving talent with intention. #TalentStrategy #TalentAcquisition #WorkforceStrategy #LeadershipDevelopment #FutureOfWork #ServiceNow