There is much talk these days of engaging employees. Businesses hire consultants to increase employee engagement. HR departments develop programs to engage employees. What the heck are they talking about? I say don’t waste your money or your time. Engaging employees for the sake of engaging employees is ridiculous. Like team building, the approach often involves a lot of funky exercises, many of them dreaded by the employees, the vast majority of them resulting, at best, in temporary enthusiasm. And then everyone returns to their desks, to the daily grind, to their old habits, to existing constraints. And absolutely nothing changes. Why do you think you need to increase employee engagement? What problem are you trying to solve? What bar are you trying to raise?
We are most committed to a course of action when we have some “skin in the game.” We get into the game in a number of ways. One is by investing time and money. Public announcements of our goals and intentions are another significant way of cementing commitment. It is hard for us to walk away from a plan once we have told others. I can vouch for this personally. The night before my wedding, I could not sleep a wink. I was wondering whether I was even capable of seeing glaring evidence of folly while the ball was rolling so vigorously toward our wedding day. As guests made travel plans, the word spread more broadly, and gifts began to arrive, the snowball took control. Even as my thirtieth anniversary approaches, I remember vividly that lesson about the power our prior decisions, public statements, and invested time and money have over our thoughts and options.