15 employee engagement quotes to get you thinking.
Many great leaders have been quoted on the topic of employee engagement. Here are a few that resonate for us. These quotes, from highly successful entrepreneurs to highly decorated military chiefs, identify the power of employee engagement and the positive impact of helping your employees build an emotional connection to the company.
1. “You manage things; you lead people.”
Rear Admiral Grace Hopper
Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, an American computer scientist and navy rear admiral, was a pioneer of computer programming and helped developed the first computer language. In a few simple words, she identifies that people are not a commodity; they need leadership and inspiration to thrive at work.
2. “We think it’s important for employees to have fun… it drives employee engagement.”
Tony Hsieh
The man behind mega-brand Zappos knows that creating fun at work will lead to success. While you don’t need to have llamas at your company events (yes, Zappos really do have them at most events), creating more fun at work will capture the positive energy of your organisation and improve engagement.
3. “Turned on people figure out how to beat the competition. Turned off people only complain about being beaten by the competition.”
Ben Simonton
This renowned American leadership coach and author puts it simply. Engaged employees will go above and beyond to reach company goals while disengaged employees not only fail to contribute anything meaningful, they may actually be damaging your brand through their negativity and inaction.
4. “Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.”
Anne Mulcahy
A reminder from the ex-CEO of Xerox that while employees spend a lot of time at work, there is more to them that what you may see in working hours. We are all human and prosper when leadership recognise all the influences in our lives, not just what happens at work.
5. “When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.”
Simon Sinek
A powerful reminder from the author of Start With Why that emotional engagement leads to discretionary effort without the expectation of getting something back. They want to give, not get.
6. “Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.”
Stephen R. Covey
A great quote that highlights that leadership set the benchmark when it comes to behaviour. Employees will treat customers how they are treated so build an environment where they can prosper and you will see increased customer loyalty and satisfaction.
7. “When people go to work, they shouldn’t have to leave their hearts at home.”
Betty Bender
Work should be all about heart. If you can win over the hearts and minds of your employees, you can achieve great things.
8. “There are only three measurements that tell you nearly everything you need to know about your organisation’s overall performance: employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow.”
Jack Welch
There are so many measurements you can use to determine how your business is tracking but this quote from the man who led GE to great heights over a 20 year period, highlights that there are only three things that really matter – your employees, your customers and your finances.
9. “Employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the organisation and its goals.”
Kevin Kruse
A simple definition of employee engagement from the industry expert and author. Keven Kruse sums up the intrinsic connection an engaged employee has to a company and the achievement of the company’s goals.
10. “Engaged employees are in the game for the sake of the game; they believe in the cause of the organisation.”
Paul Marciano, PhD
This message highlights that employees want not only meaningful roles, but are looking to work towards a greater purpose – and one that they believe in.
11. “It all came down to employee engagement. It all came down to recognition. It all came down to leadership, which led to every sailor feeling ownership and accountability for the results. You can ask a team to accomplish a mission but you can’t order excellence.”
Mike Abrashoff, Commander USS Benfold
A reminder that issuing commands may get the job done but to really succeed, leadership need to create opportunities for your team take the lead role. Give them tools, make them accountable and when they step up to the challenge, recognise their success.
12. “Create caring and robust connections between every employee and their work, customers, leaders, managers, and the organisation to achieve results that matter to everyone in this sentence.”
David Zinger
It is not just the connection between an employee and their manager that counts, it is every connection that they have in their work environment. Creating meaningful relationships across the organisation will have a powerful impact on overall results.
13. “Highly engaged employees make the customer experience. Disengaged employees break it.”
Timothy R. Clark
Simple and to the point. If you want to change your customer experience, focus on improving employee engagement. Engaged employees will make sure your customer experience exceeds their expectations.
14. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
Steve Jobs
You cannot be successful doing something you don’t love. If you genuinely love your job and are emotionally connected to the higher purpose of a company, you will do great work.
15. “Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free and worth a fortune.”
Sam Walton
Founder of Wal-mart, Sam Walton recognised the power a simple thank-you could have when it came to his employees. Build a thank-you economy in your business and your culture will be all about appreciation and gratitude, rather than ‘what’s in it for me’.