March, 2007 EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
The Five Drivers of Employee Engagement
Why 5, Why These 5 and Why 5 Emotional Drivers
BY BRADY WILSON
The Five Drivers of Engagement
For years Juice Inc. has been on a quest to
discover which core emotional needs are most crucial
for employees in the workplace. Standing on the
shoulders of some of the thought pioneers of the last
decade, we identified five core drivers that seemed to
matter most to employees. When these five drivers
passed the scrutiny of a Ph.D. in organizational
psychology, we began field-testing them with several
organizations. After three years of testing, we are now
confident that these Five Drivers produce the highest
levels of organizational energy and unlock employees'
ability to offer what they want to offer in their jobs -
their best stuff.
Why Five?
One might argue, "Aren't there more than 5
core drivers that energize people? I can think of at
least fourteen!" As true as this may be, a list of
fourteen drivers would be very unwieldy for a
manager to wrap her head around and implement
with employees in the midst of her wildly complex
and overloaded days. A shorthand list of the most
crucial drivers is all a manager needs to release
energy in her employees.
A shorthand list of the most crucial drivers is
all a manager needs to release energy in her
employees.
To this end one could argue, "Five is too many to
remember. It should be a list of no more than three!"
While a list of three would certainly be more
manageable, it might not be comprehensive enough
to sufficiently represent all the crucial emotional
drivers that energize employees.
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VOL 1, NO.
Brilliance is often found in the tension. Our goal was
to discover a list that would be simple yet
comprehensive. After witnessing the quick uptake of
the five drivers by managers over the last three years,
we know from experience that we have achieved our
goal of simple + comprehensive.
Why These Five
Here are the 5 drivers, framed as statements
employees wish they could internally make to
themselves as they think about their job:
1. "I Fit."
2. "I'm Clear."
3. "I'm Supported."
4. "I'm Valued."
5. "I'm Inspired."
When employees are able to make statements
like these, engagement, discretionary effort and
results naturally follow. Here are some of the
statements leaders have offered us after focusing on
the 5 drivers for six months:
"We've cut our credits and returns in half"
"For the first time in I don't know how long, I've
got employees singing out on the production line."
"There were several people who had their resumes
polished up. None of them are looking any more."
Let's look at the specific elements of the Five
Drivers that produce engagement and results for
organizations:
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 EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
"I Fit"
My role is a good match for my talents.
My role is a good match for my interests.
I fit in well with my team - I feel I belong here.
I feel understood by my team - I experience no unnecessary
friction or confusion.
I feel safe in my current role emotionally and physically.
"I'm Clear"
I'm clear on the expectations my manager has of me.
I receive the information that's important to me when I need
it.
I'm clear on the big picture of how things work here and
how I contribute to it.
I'm clear on how my manager feels about my progress.
I'm clear on leadership's direction, strategy and objectives
and how they translate into my day-to-day activities.
"I'm Supported"
I feel equipped with all the resources I need to succeed -
time, training, tools & systems.
My compensation and benefits package feels right to me.
My manager "has my back", supports me and goes to bat for
me when I need it.
I have the freedom and authority to do what I'm responsible
to do.
I'm getting the growth opportunities and challenges that are
important to me.
"I'm Valued"
I feel my leaders value me as a person - not as a tool or an
asset.
I feel recognized and appreciated for my contribution.
I feel I am being treated fairly.
I feel respected by my leaders.
My leaders listen to me in a way that makes me feel
completely understood.
"I'm Inspired"
I feel a sense of pride and connection with the purpose of
my organization.
Underperformers are not ignored here - employees are held
completely accountable.
I feel I am achieving great results.
My colleagues and leaders walk the talk.
The passion of my colleagues inspires me to drive for more
aggressive goals.
A Hierarchy of Work Needs
Imagine yourself the owner of a small business.
You are about to hire your first employee. What is the
first order of the day? A perfect fit. You are thrilled to
find Anne - someone who promises to have both the
talents and the wiring that match the role. As Anne
begins to hear about her role, she is juiced by the
prospect of doing something she is good at doing
and that she loves to do.
C Juice Inc. 2006 - www.juiceinc.ca - 519-822-5479
Once you hire Anne, the very next thing you do
is give her clarity - ensuring that she clearly
understands your expectations and her contribution to
the big picture. Having clarity enables Anne to focus
and focus releases energy inside her in significant
ways.
Once she is crystal clear on her role, you say,
"Now I want to make sure you have all the support you
need to succeed here. Here are the tools, processes,
systems and training you will need. Also, I will be here
to make sure you have the backing, encouragement
and development opportunities to feel that you are
completely supported. As all these things actually
materialize, Anne's initial hopes about the job are
validated and even more energy is released within her.
In the days that follow, you watch for every
possible opportunity to make Anne feel completely
valued - demonstrating interest in her as a person,
listening carefully to her and giving recognition in
ways that feel appropriate for her. Each time one of
these things happens, her energy spikes.
As Anne settles into her role, you ensure that
she is inspired in an ongoing way: you model personal
excellence by walking the talk and holding her
accountable to achieve the great results she is capable
of achieving. This sustains her personal energy level,
allowing her to remain completely engaged and
enabling her to offer all of her discretionary effort.
The 5 Drivers Move Employees into
Desired States of Being
Each of the five drivers represents a much
deeper desired state of being that is crucial to the
release of energy in employees. A state of being is
more than just a feeling - it is a pervasive emotional
condition that affects a person's entire being. For
example, "My manager recognized my contribution" is a
feeling - "I am significant here" is a state of being. "I've
been given the authority to do my job" is a feeling - "I
experience freedom here" is a state of being.
There are five main states that people love and need to be in:
A State of Purpose
A State of Freedom
A State of Significance
A State of Belonging
A State of Security
If denied these states of being, employees become
depleted of their energy and find it increasingly
dif f ic ul t to o f fe r t hei r en gage m ent and dis cretiona ry
effort.
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 EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
The 5 Drivers and the States of Being they Move
People Into
Drivers States of Being
I Fit
I'm Clear
I'm Supported
I'm Valued
I'm Inspired
Why 5 Emotional Drivers?
Significant emergent research has revealed
some critical discoveries. We've learned what creates
the most highly engaged organization from Towers
Perrin, BlessingWhite, Hewitt and Melcrum. We've
learned what creates the most highly productive
workforce from the Gallup Organization. We've
learned what creates the most highly effective leaders
from Daniel Goleman and other Emotional Intelligence
researchers. We've learned what creates the most
highly change-adaptive employees from John Kotter.
And finally, we've learned what creates the most
highly performing employees from the Corporate
Leadership Council.
Connecting the Dots
Highly Engaged
– Towers
wers Perrin and BlessingWhit
BlessingWhite
Highly
Change-Adaptive
ge-Adaptive
– John Kotter
tter
Highly Productive
- Gallup
allup
The results of each of these studies are
fascinating, but if you view them as a whole and
begin to connect the dots, an amazing realization
coalesces: What matters to employees more than
anything else at work is feelings. Consider the
following five examples:
Feelings Create Highly Engaged Employees
After surveying more than 40,000 employees
in the U.S. and Canada in medium to large
organizations, Towers Perrin discovered what attracts,
retains, and engages employees. Generally speaking,
employees are attracted by pay and benefits, retained
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by opportunities for development, and engaged by
how they feel on the job. What's interesting is that
each of Towers Perrin's top ten drivers of employee
engagement is instrumental in producing feelings
inside employees. Beside each of the Towers Perrin
Belonging top ten, we've bracketed the feeling that is produced
Security inside employees.
Freedom
Significance Senior management has sincere interest
Purpose in("I'm Valued")
Company provides challenging work. ("I'm
inspired")
Employees have appropriate decision-making
authority. ("I'm Supported")
Company cares a great deal about customer
satisfaction. ("I'm Inspired")
Employees have excellent career
opportunities.("I fit," "I'm Valued" "I'm
supported")
Company has a reputation as a good
employer. ("I'm Inspired")
Employees work well in teams. ("I Fit" and
"I'm inspired")
Employees have resources needed to
perform jobs in a high-quality way. ("I'm
Supported")
Employees have appropriate decision-making
input. ("I'm Valued")
Senior management communicates clear
vision for long-term success. ("I'm Clear"
and "I'm Inspired")
Feelings Create Highly Productive Employees
Highly Effective
H
– EmotionalIntelligen
EmotionalIntelligence After surveying over two million employees,
the Gallup Organization has discovered the twelve
elements required for an organization to be highly
productive in terms of revenue, profitability, customer
loyalty, and employee retention. Interestingly enough,
each of the elements produces a specific feeling
inside employees. Beside each of the Gallup Q12,
we've bracketed the feeling that is produced inside
employees.
Highly Perfo
Performing I know what is expected of me at work.
– CorporateLeaders
CorporateLeadershipCouncil
("I'm Clear")
I have the materials and equipment I need
to do my work right. ("I'm Supported")
At work, I have the opportunity to do what
I do best every day. ("I Fit")
In the last seven days, I have received
recognition or praise for doing good work.
("I'm Valued")
My supervisor or someone at work seems
to care about me as a person. ("I'm
Valued")
There is someone at work who encourages
my development. ("I'm Supported")
At work, my opinions seem to count. ("I'm
Valued")
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 EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
The mission/purpose of my company
makes me feel that my job is important.
("I'm Inspired")
My associates (fellow employees) are
committed to doing quality work. ("I'm
Inspired")
I have a best friend at work. ("I Fit")
In the last six months, someone at work
has talked to me about my progress.
("I'm clear" and "I'm Supported")
This past year, I have had opportunities
at work to learn and grow. ("I'm
Valued," "I'm Supported," ""I'm
Inspired")
Gallup's study conclusively shows that how
employees feel affects the bottom line. Managers who
create an environment where these twelve elements
(and by extension, the five feelings) are present are
50% more likely to deliver on customer loyalty and
44% more likely to produce above average
profitability.
[First Break All the Rules: Buckingham and Coffman]
Feelings Create Highly Change-Adaptive
Employees
John Kotter of Harvard University recognizes
the critical role of feelings in enabling employees to
embrace change. Kotter has discovered that trying to
get people to embrace change by appealing to their
thinking is unproductive. The common approach used
to be, "Give them enough analysis and they'll think
differently. If they think differently they will engage
in change." Kotter's research has shown, however, that
the most effective approach is not analysis, think,
change but see, feel, change. When people see
something powerfully modeled, it evokes within
them a feeling that enables them to readily
embrace change. In short, help people feel right,
and they can change.
Kotter's research has shown, however, that the most
effective approach is not analysis, think, change but
see, feel, change.
Highly Effective Leaders Create Feelings
Emotional intelligence experts Goleman,
Boyatzis, and McKee put it this way in their book
Primal Leadership: "The fundamental task of leaders,
we argue, is to prime good feelings in those they
lead. At its root then, then, the primal job of
leadership is emotional. Great leadership works
through the emotions."
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In addition, it is emotional intelligence (EQ), thethe
ability to identify and manage your own feelings and
the feelings of those you work with that has the
greatest impact on making leaders highly effective
with their employees.
Feelings Create Highly Performing Employees
In its Best Practices Research 2002, the
Corporate Leadership Council studied 19,000
employees over seven industries in 29 countries. Their
mission was to uncover the drivers that produced the
highest levels of performance in organizations. Once
again, each of the drivers is responsible for creating
feelings inside employees. Beside each of the CLC
drivers, we've bracketed the feeling that is produced
inside employees.
Working on the things you do best can
increase performance by up to 28%. (I fit)
Employee understanding of their performance
standards can increase performance by up to
36%. (I'm clear)
A culture with good internal communication
can increase performance by up to 34%. (I'm
clear)
Engagement in on-the-job development
opportunities can increase performance by
up to 28%. (I'm supported)
An environment of risk-taking can increase
performance by up to 38%. (I'm supported
and I'm inspired)
Emphasizing an employee's performance
strengths can increase performance by up to
36%. (I'm valued)
Belief that a manager is knowledgeable about
an employee's performance can increase
performance by up to 30%. (I'm valued)
We Feel First and Think Next
But why are feelings so important for
engaging people? Why not thoughts, facts, figures, or
physical commodities? Brain researchers have
discovered that all data entering the prefrontal cortex
(the logical, decision-making center of the brain) first
gets filtered through the amygdala (the emotional
center of the brain). In short, we humans feel first,
then we think. That means people's first response to
you is an emotional one. As they interact with you,
they are internally assessing, "Do I feel put down?
Respected? Listened to? Patronized?"
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 EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Furthermore, we have learned that when
people think back on their interactions with you, they
first remember how you made them feel and only
after that do they remember the thoughts and
commodities that may have passed between you.
"Soft" Feelings Drive Hard Results
People's emotional needs drive their
decisions. In fact, their behaviors can best be
understood as an attempt to get their emotional
needs met. If this is true, then the most important
thing you can do as a leader is to create an
environment where each of your employee's core
emotional needs is being met.
Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman make a
strong suggestion in their book First Break All the
Rules: "It would be [most] efficient to identify the few
emotions you want your employees to feel and then
to hold your managers accountable for creating these
em ot i on s . " T h es e e mo ti o n s be co m e t h e o ut co m es a
manager is primarily responsible for.
Why is the creation of emotional engagement
the most important thing a manager can do? Because
"emotional engagement is four times more valuable
than rational engagement in driving employee effort"
says the Corporate Leadership Council in their 2004
Employment Engagement Survey. Following is a
comparison of emotional and rational engagement.
Rational Engagement
· Engaging the minds of your employees
I understand the organization's strategy
·
and how I contribute to it
· The skill to do more
· Big picture understanding, clarity of
expectations, connection to financial,
developmental or professional rewards
Emotional Engagement
· Engaging the hearts of your employees
· The excellence of my colleagues inspires
me to strive for more aggressive goals
· The will to do more
· Feelings of purpose, pride, meaning,
inspiration and loyalty
Simple, Systematic Engagement Conversations
Managers in your organization face a choice
point many times a day: "I've got sixty minutes of
unscheduled time. Do I do something that will make
me 10% more productive, or do I take 10 minutes
with each of my six employees and do something that
will make each of them 10% more productive? You do
the math.
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How your managers answer that question determines
the future of your company. Unfortunately, most
managers get the answer wrong, believing their
primary role is to execute on technical tasks versus
releasing energy in their employees.
There is one simple but brilliant activity that great
managers do, that enables them to know exactly
what is required to energize an employee: they
ask. They actually sit with their employees and ask,
"You and I both want the same thing. We both want
you to feel completely energized at work. Can I ask
you what you need to feel completely energized?"
Most managers believe they could never have this
conversation with their employees. Wouldn't it create
a set of expectations that couldn't be fulfilled?
Wouldn't you be setting the employee up for
disappointment and yourself for failure?
Juice enables leaders and managers to become skillful
at simple, systematic engagement conversations that
uncover the drivers that energize and engage each of
their employees on the job.
There is one simple but brilliant activity that great
managers do, that enables them to know exactly
what is required to energize an employee: they ask.
Case Study
Creating a Highly Engaged, High-Performing
Culture
Background
Good working relationships began to
deteriorate when fast growth overtook a small
distribution company with 115 employees. Instead of
people supporting each other, relationships between
and within departments weakened and the workplace
was consumed by toxic communication. Although the
company's president, Rob, was pleased with the
organization's fast growth, he was concerned with the
human cost. He realized the growth had happened on
the backs of his people, who he felt were close to a
breaking point due to sustained intensity and
overtime hours. He was also aware that a significant
number of employees and managers were looking for
work elsewhere.
The Goal
"I need two things", Rob stated. "Number 1 -
Get our culture back to where it was before. Number
2 - Give us the management training that will enable
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 EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
to manage like high-performing professionals." Rob
was keenly aware that his management team was
technically strong, although they lacked some soft
management skills and they required significant
improvement in building better relationships.
The Solution
Assess
Juice conducted an initial assessment to
identify the "reality" of the situation. Instead of
looking at the "problem" from only Rob's eyes, Juice
interviewed key stakeholders to understand the
situation from several different perspectives. The
assessment quickly uncovered critical problem areas
including indirect communication, low respect and
trust for leaders, unfairness, lack of accountability and
a lack of recognition and appreciation.
Leaders then engaged in a 360 assessment to
identify areas of strengths and weaknesses. Leaders
rated themselves, and they were also rated by their
manager, two of their peers and at least three
employees. There was a gap between the leader's
perception of themselves, and employees' perceptions
of them.
Juice Inc. also designed and conducted an
employee climate and satisfaction survey which
brought to the surface, exactly what employees loved
about their work environment, what they hated about
it, and what they identified as "non-issues".
Train
Juice Inc. conducted experiential, pragmatic
management training sessions. Managers and
supervisors received training on the Five Drivers of
Engagement. They began practicing with each other
immediately - using their new skills to solve the
substantive issues of their business. This approach
created a strong level of engagement in the training
sessions and left participants with a lasting imprint.
The first session was a full day and set the tone for
three, subsequent half-day sessions.
Full Day Company-Wide Event
Juice Inc. facilitated a full-day, company-wide
training intervention in order to imprint employees
with a common experience, language and learning.
Juice guided employees through an experiential
exercise called Terra Nova, which taught participants
how to maximize their results by understanding
what's possible, how to understand the big picture
and each others' needs, and how to align individual,
team and organizational goals.
C Juice Inc. 2006 - www.juiceinc.ca - 519-822-5479
The Results
Six months after the intervention began,
leaders and employees directly reported the following
results from the Juice process:
Retention of Talent
"People who were looking for other jobs have
stopped looking."
Reduction in Inventory Control Credits
"Credits have been cut in half. Pickers and
receivers are working together; the warehouse is
focusing on understanding and meeting each
others' needs --shippers for receivers and receivers
for shippers; as a result there has been a huge
reduction in inventory control credits. Usually 50-
100 credits a day. Now we're down to as low as
10. This makes a big difference for pickers,
customers, inventory control and re-stockers."
Decreased Shipping Time
"Streamlining is helping; we peeled off a day of
shipping time."
Faster Response Times
Response times are faster; less reminding is
needed; there are fewer 'black holes'.
"All the departments are ready to help."
Improved Cross-Department Cooperation and
Communication
"We're getting better cooperation in getting
projects done because communication lines are
open; we can see the big picture."
"Supervisors have done a good job in the
transition shift from 'me' focus to what needs to
be done team action."
"People are understanding and anticipating each
others' needs."
"People are asking, 'How does my job affect the
company and other departments?'"
"…more respect in the warehouse for each
other."
"Pickers clean the freezer and cooler for receivers
(every night); frees receivers up from cleaning up
our mess; they are free to restock shelves."
"…a decrease in the 'office/warehouse chasm'."
People are Happier
"Bickering is mostly gone; people are happier."
"Attitudes have changed…happier…willing to put
forth more effort."
"...haven't heard "not my job" in quite a while."
"…attitude shift…giving benefit of the doubt."
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 EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

Increased Innovation

"Smoke break has changed from complaining to

discussing new ideas."
"There's a shift in the lunch room as well; people
are talking about other ideas."
"People are now offering value, and being
innovative."

Improved Management Skills

"… is becoming more involved in the human side

willing to get involved in dialogue. Managers feel
more supported - there are fewer end runs
happening."
"… is showing a commitment to reducing the
human cost."
"Employees are feeling more appreciated; more
positive feedback, get pats on the back, while
before it was predominantly negative."
"There has been an expectation shift in
managers. They are going into meetings
understanding and ready to dialogue."
"Managers are less autocratic and more
understanding."
"The managers have had a mind shift in the area
of making sure employees "FIT". They are
focusing on finding people that fit and un-
finding those that don't."

Overall, there was a significant change in attitudes,

and as people became happier, they were willing to
pu t m or e ef fo rt i nto t he i r w o rk , a n d th i s t ra nslat ed
into improved performance and better results.

About Brady Wilson

Since 1993, Brady has
trained and coached
executives and managers in
Fortune 500 companies
across North America. His
deep expertise is
communication, specifically
enabling leaders to unlock
discretionary effort by
engaging the emotions of
their people through face-
to-face conversation.
In 1999, Brady launched Juice Inc. Juice's mission is to
enrich peoples' lives by co-creating environments
where it feels good to work and it's easier to get
significant results.

Juice Inc.
Guelph, ON Canada
519-822-5479
www.juiceinc.ca

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