How Personalized Engagement Plans Turn Teams into Top Performers
The Executive Team That Got It Right Picture this: a workplace where people show up genuinely excited to contribute. Where trust and connection aren’t just cheesy posters in the breakroom, they’re the default setting. Where engagement isn’t driven by generic programs, but by leaders who know their people and treat them like individuals. What would […]
The Great Disconnect: How Technology Is Quietly Killing Workplace Connection
We are the most connected generation in history, yet loneliness rates have doubled since the 1980s. I experienced this new isolated world firsthand during a cross-country trip from NYC to LA. From the moment I left my place in NYC, everything ran like clockwork. It was efficient and smooth, but eerily isolating. When Convenience Replaces […]
The Real Cost of Employee Dis-Engagement
As if Gallup’s reporting that 51% of workers are disengaged and 17% are actively disengaged weren’t already cause for concern, look just beneath the surface and the picture gets worse. This isn’t mild apathy, it’s active disconnection. Employees aren’t just a little off. They’ve mentally packed up and left. Checked out. Tuned out. And when […]
The Engagement Crisis: Stop Trying to “Perk” Your Way Out of a Broken System
I arrived early to set up for an all-hands team meeting, one of those “let’s take a beat and reconnect” sessions the leadership team had asked for. The goal was simple: increase connection, boost engagement, and remind people why their work mattered. I’ve led sessions like this hundreds of times. They’re often energizing. Hopeful. A […]
Use Blender Events To Wake Up Disengaged Employees
A small surprise at work can do what emails and flyers never will, it wakes people up. In the world of Dance Floor Theory™ we call these types of activities Blender Events. Blender Events are designed to pull Neutrals out of autopilot and get them to pay attention. A great Blender Event achieves three goals: […]
Employee Engagement Lessons from Ray Dalio’s $100 Billion Dollar Hedge Fund
Bridgewater is an investment firm that has nearly $100 billion in assets under management, but founder Ray Dalio says his most valuable asset isn’t capital, it’s his people. And his secret to keeping them engaged? A $500 bill. Bridgewater’s $500 Secret While most companies give you a branded stress ball and a pat on the […]
Employee Engagement and Workplace Loneliness: Why Leaders Must Build a Culture of Connection
Americans now spend more time with their pets than they do with their friends. This is great news for Fido. Not so great for your workplace. Your dog has probably heard more about your work week than your friends or co-workers. The Social Fitness Crisis and Workplace Loneliness Derek Thompson, writing for The Atlantic, outlined […]
How to Spot Disengaged Employees Before They Quiet Quit
He wasn’t storming out, slamming doors, or sending fiery resignation emails. He was just… fading. This is what disengagement looks like before it turns into quiet quitting. Marcus had been with the company for almost five years. He usually got his work done on time. It was nothing special, but nothing terrible either. Marcus was […]
The intern who bit five coworkers and still kept her job
Some interns fetch coffee. Others… bite their colleagues. When a summer intern started at the prestigious Sidley Austin law firm in New York, she made quite an impression, by biting another employee. But despite her strong chomp, she didn’t get fired. Not after the first bite. Not after the second. Not even after the third […]
What Would You Trade for a Paperclip?
“What do you think you could get for a paperclip?”That was the only prompt I gave a group of employees and managers during their All-Hands meeting.Here were the rules: Get into teams of three. Each team starts with one paperclip. You have one hour. Your goal? Come back with the highest-value item you can get […]