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 that team be capable of?
That’s exactly what one midwest manufacturing company set out to build.
They brought me in to work with their leadership team and a group of frontline managers to help increase engagement across the organization. We didn’t start with perks or policies. We started with people. One conversation at a time, managers learned how to lead more personally, meeting their team members where they were, not where the org chart said they were.
A few months in, the results were already showing. One executive pulled me aside and shared a story that captured it perfectly. It was about a manager on their team named Terri.
It was a Tuesday morning, and Terri had walked into the office already deep in strategy mode for an upcoming client meeting. Her brain was two coffee cups ahead of her body. Before she could even reach her desk, Maya from reception called out, “Morning, Terri! The CEO asked if you had a minute to drop by when you got in. Oh, and congratulations on your son’s graduation this weekend! The photos you shared were amazing. I can’t believe how grown up he looks.”
Terri smiled, genuinely. She appreciated that Maya had remembered a personal milestone. Even as someone deeply invested in the company’s success, it meant something to be seen as a whole person, not just a high-performing cog in the machine. Because even the best machines break down when no one’s checking the oil.
When Terri stepped into the CEO’s office, she was surprised to find not just the CEO, but the entire executive leadership team waiting for her.
“There she is,” the CEO said, standing up to greet her. “Terri, we wanted to talk through the Westfield proposal with you before making any final decisions. The board loved your strategy. They’ve given us full autonomy on this one, and we all agree, you should lead the implementation.”
The exec telling me this story said that having that kind of autonomy was about as close as it gets to being handed the steering wheel of the company.
What stood out most wasn’t just the opportunity, it was how it was offered. No detailed checklist. No micromanaging. Just trust. They handed her the reins because they believed in her ability to lead, think strategically, and navigate complexity. And this wasn’t a one-off. It reflected a broader shift they’d been working on, one where their top performers weren’t being coaxed into engagement by stress balls, extra break time, or free snacks like others on the team, but by autonomy, ownership, and the resources to solve real problems.
In the meeting, the COO backed up the plan. “I’ve already talked to finance about allocating whatever resources you think are necessary,” she said. “Build your own project team. Go cross-departmental if you want. You make the budget. You make the call.”
Terri felt a jolt of energy as her eyes lit up. This wasn’t just another assignment, it was a chance to shape something meaningful. The autonomy motivated her in a way no employee of the month award ever could. She walked straight to the whiteboard and started sketching out her vision. The executive team didn’t interrupt or redirect. They asked questions. They listened. And in doing so, they reinforced what their culture was becoming: a place where top talent was given ownership, not instructions.
As she headed home that evening, Terri reflected on the day. What made her feel truly connected was the steady stream of trust, self-direction, and purpose. Her leaders didn’t just accommodate her strengths and motivation, they activated them. She wasn’t just allowed to lead, she was expected to. And that quiet, consistent belief in her capabilities didn’t just engage her, it inspired her to give even more.
Tomorrow will undoubtedly bring new challenges, sure. But that night, Terri felt a kind of deep satisfaction that didn’t come from applause or accolades. It came from knowing that her success moved the business forward and lifted up the entire team.
Simon Sinek put it simply, “Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.” Terri’s story is exactly what it looks like when engagement gets personal. Her motivation didn’t come from a title or a bonus, it came from feeling trusted, seen, and supported in a way that aligned with what actually mattered to her. Purpose-driven work only works when leaders take the time to understand what drives each person individually. That’s when stress becomes passion. That’s when people stay.
This is what happens in a workplace with what I call a strong Culture of Connection™ which is where engagement isn’t treated like a checkbox, but built into the way people are led and supported every day. It means creating an environment where individuals feel seen, valued, and empowered. Not just with celebrations or Slack shoutouts, but with leadership that takes the time to understand what drives each person, and leads accordingly.
Engagement isn’t about one-size-fits-all solutions or a rotating menu of perks. It’s about knowing your people, really knowing them. It’s about understanding where they are in their level of engagement, and supporting them in a way that helps them grow from there. Terri thrived on decision-making power and ownership. She didn’t need step-by-step instructions or daily check-ins. She needed room to lead. And her leaders gave it to her. Being trusted to lead fired her up, it made her feel valued and fueled her performance. But for someone else in the company, that level of independence might feel overwhelming or even demotivating. They might thrive with more structure, more support, or even rewards and recognition for showing up and contributing. Engagement isn’t about using the same playbook for everyone, it’s about finding the right playbook for each person.
Whether it’s a kind word at the front desk, a personalized celebration, a chance to run with an idea, or being rewarded for participation, every intentional moment that aligns with someone’s current level of engagement helps build a stronger Culture of Connection™. The more consistently leaders meet people where they are in terms of engagement, the more trust, energy, and momentum the team builds together.
The Opportunity of Getting It Right
Terri’s experience is more than a feel-good story. It’s a glimpse into what happens when organizations move beyond lip service and build real engagement. Her renewed energy after that executive meeting wasn’t a fluke, it was the natural outcome of leaders who understood what actually fuels connection and engagement at work.
And the upside of getting engagement right is massive!
Sure, happier employees are worth celebrating (cue the mocktails and the awkward team toasts), but the ripple effects go way beyond good vibes and cupcakes. The research tells a louder, clearer story. One with real numbers and real results.
- Higher Retention: Engaged employees are 59% less likely to job hunt. Why? Because when people feel seen, supported, and valued, like Terri did, they stay. That means less turnover, fewer hiring headaches, tighter teams, and more institutional knowledge that doesn’t walk out the door every 18 months. Turns out, when people care… they actually care. Shocking, I know.
- Increased Productivity: Happy employees are 14% more productive. And no, that’s not just feel-good fluff, it’s bottom-line rocket fuel. When people aren’t burning energy dodging micromanagers or decoding passive-aggressive emails, they can actually focus on doing great work. Less drama, more delivery. It’s not magic, it’s just leadership that makes sense.
- Better Health: Socially connected employees take fewer sick days, report lower stress, and, believe it or not, even live longer. A sense of belonging isn’t just good for morale, it’s a full-on wellness strategy. Less burnout means fewer callouts, stronger teams, and budgets that aren’t drained by absenteeism. Which makes your culture more effective than that kombucha tap no one asked for but everyone pretends to like.
- Stronger Customer Relationships: Engaged employees go the extra mile, and customers feel it. Gallup found that teams in the top quartile of engagement see 10% higher customer loyalty and 23% higher profitability. Why? Because when your team is grounded in purpose and connection, that energy doesn’t stay behind the scenes. It shows up in every conversation, every interaction, every deliverable. As Ken Blanchard put it, “Positive employee passion creates positive customer devotion.” When employees feel valued, trusted, and supported, they don’t just perform better, they extend that same care to the people they serve. Engagement starts on the inside, but it never stays there.
This inside-out ripple effect is more than a feel-good theory, it’s a strategy that smart companies, like UPS, have bet on for years. As Robert Putnam notes in his book, Better Together, UPS didn’t double down on human connection because it made them feel warm and fuzzy. They did it because it worked. “UPS has pursued a more social capital-intensive strategy than many comparable firms… not out of altruism, but because of a hard-nosed business calculation that it is a good way to make a profit.” Putnam nails it by saying that investing in the human connection within your team isn’t soft, it’s financially smart.
That’s the quiet superpower of engagement: what’s good for humans turns out to be great for business. It’s one of the rare workplace win-wins that doesn’t require a reorg, a software upgrade, or slapping another motivational poster above the coffee machine. Just real people, doing better work, because they feel like they matter.
This playbook isn’t limited to only Fortune 500 companies. Whether you’re leading a team of three or a company of three thousand, the formula still holds. Engaged employees are more present, more proactive, and more likely to bring their A-game. Their motivation becomes rocket fuel for loyalty, advocacy, and long-term performance. Big results don’t come from hierarchy, they come from leaders who know how to connect and engage on a human level.
