The Truth about Employee Engagement Book Summary - The Truth about Employee Engagement Book explained in key points

The Truth about Employee Engagement summary

Name: The Truth about Employee Engagement
Rating: 4.4 (141 reviews)
Author: Patrick Lencioni

Patrick Lencioni

A Fable about Addressing the Three Root Causes of Job Misery

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4.4 (141 ratings)

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What is The Truth about Employee Engagement about?

The Truth About Employee Engagement (2007) tells you how to turn any type of job from miserable to meaningful. Using three key tips, you’ll find joy and satisfaction in your work. The blinks offer guidance for employers on creating an environment in which employees can thrive, and advice for job seekers on how to find the job that will be the perfect fit for them.

About the Author

Patrick Lencioni is a consultant and manager who specializes in developing strong teams and creating healthy dynamics within companies. He has worked not only for Fortune 500 companies but also for start-ups and nonprofit organizations. He has published numerous books including the bestselling The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.

© Patrick Lencioni: The Truth About Employee Engagement copyright 2015, John Wiley & Sons Inc. Used by permission of John Wiley & Sons Inc. and shall not be made available to any unauthorized third parties.

Table of Contents

Key idea 1 of 7

Job satisfaction does not depend on salary alone, and the cost of miserable employees is high.

What does it mean when somebody tells you they have a bad job? There are lots of reasons they might feel less than happy with their role. It might leave them physically exhausted or offer low pay. But there are less obvious reasons why people might be dissatisfied.

Say you land a job in the sector in which you’ve always dreamed of working or secure a move to a position with an attractive salary. Neither of these things can guarantee job satisfaction.

Have you ever found yourself heading to work each morning, dreading arriving at the office? Have you ever counted the hours all day long, waiting for it to be over? Then you’ve had a miserable job that may have left you feeling deeply cynical, without motivation to apply yourself or perform well.

It has nothing to do with the job title or the sector; a doctor can be just as miserable as a construction worker. A professional sportsperson might be as disillusioned as an amusement park designer. A wealthy executive might be deeply unhappy in her job, whereas the waiter who serves her lunch may find his job deeply rewarding. You get the picture.

Being so unhappy in your job obviously has a personal cost – your general well-being. What isn’t as obvious is the high cost to companies.

Let’s look at efficiency. There’s plenty of research to show the negative impact dissatisfied employees can have on a company’s efficiency. When a worker is less engaged and less happy with their work, they’re less likely to perform well, and both employee and company will suffer.

Not only that – an unhappy employee’s misery and cynicism will filter into their home life, affecting their partner and children. The same people are also more likely to find it hard to perform their other social responsibilities, such as caring for loved ones and taking part in the wider community.

If we’re going to solve job misery, we’ll first have to understand what causes it. Luckily, the next blink has the answer.

There are three root causes of job misery and these can affect anyone.

Picture a plant. If the roots are rotten, no nutrients can be absorbed, the rot spreads to the rest of the plant and the whole thing soon withers and dies. Well, it’s much the same for humans in bad jobs. Three different rotten roots can potentially cause good jobs to wither into dismal ones.

The first of these roots is anonymity. People need to have their efforts recognized to feel valued. It’s crucial that somebody – ideally their employer – takes the time to understand their potential and appreciate their abilities. When people feel invisible, and that their presence wouldn’t be missed, they become despondent.

There are benefits to increasing employee engagement, and obstacles to overcome.

Say you’re running a business. It’s not making enough profit – what do you do? Look for cheaper suppliers? Use more efficient production methods? Maybe you should take a look at your staff first – increasing employee engagement can solve many problems.

The most obvious benefit of employee engagement is higher productivity. When people feel that their job has meaning, they’re much more willing to take responsibility to get things done. This may involve working longer hours or being more diligent, which will mean more accurate, higher-quality results.

Employers need to get to know their employees and show what employees are contributing.

What do you have in common with megastars like Madonna? More than you’d think. In spite of wealth and success, many actors and movie stars find themselves dissatisfied – under constant pressure to reinvent themselves because of a deep fear of becoming irrelevant. This fear affects office workers just as much as Grammy Award winners.

Employers can do a lot to help their employees feel needed. Firstly, by making sure each employee knows what their contribution is. For example, employers might encourage their employees to ask “Who am I helping?” In the hospitality industry, the answer is straightforward: the customer. But even though it’s clear who they’re helping, it’s important to remind employees that their work is having an impact by making sure to relay customer feedback to them.

Employees need to know exactly what they are contributing and have a reliable way of measuring this.

“Great job!” That’s the sort of thing you might hear from a manager trying to keep you motivated. It’s nice, but it’s not enough. Employers need to be a lot more specific in their praise. Why? Because employees need to know exactly what their contribution is to feel their work is worthwhile.

This often involves playing on the human element of any job. Take a worker at an airport hotel. It may be their job to deliver breakfast trays to guests’ rooms. If they only see their job as delivering food, they won’t find much satisfaction in the task. But if they understand that the guests receiving the breakfast have likely been traveling for hours, are very tired, and that having breakfast outside their door will make a huge difference to their day, the job suddenly becomes much more meaningful.

The job of a box boy or of a star athlete can both be made more meaningful.

You’ve already heard why a glamorous job isn’t necessarily a happy one, just as a menial job isn’t always miserable. If you need convincing further, here are some more examples of how to make any job more meaningful.

What about a box boy? The boy in this example is called Josh. He works at the supermarket packing customers’ bags and carrying them to the car. Josh may be at the bottom of the hierarchy, but the boss would be unwise to treat him anonymously. The boss might start a conversation, find something the two have in common and by doing so increase Josh’s interest in and loyalty to the store. Josh could also make the work more interesting for himself by giving the customers extra benefits, such as a weather report or an inspiring quote while he’s doing his job.

Managers should serve their employees; there are simple actions any manager can take to do that.

What do you think of when you think of service? An underpaid waiter serving a rich diner? An ordinary worker serving a more powerful manager? Actually, service should go both ways, and managers should aim to serve their employees.

When you’re a manager in a corporate organization, it’s easy to feel you’re not as generous or caring as a nurse or a doctor. But don’t forget that managers are in a position to give a great deal to their employees. To do this, they have to make an effort to improve the well-being of their employees – physically and mentally – to ensure they have the best possible working conditions. The great news is that everybody benefits in this situation; the employees feel valued and motivated, while the manager enjoys the satisfaction of having improved the well-being of many people and their families.

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Who should read The Truth about Employee Engagement

Managers who want to motivate their employees
Employees seeking to improve their work experience
Job seekers looking for more than a paycheck

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The Truth about Employee Engagement summary

Listen to the first key idea

What is The Truth about Employee Engagement about?

About the Author

Job satisfaction does not depend on salary alone, and the cost of miserable employees is high.

There are three root causes of job misery and these can affect anyone.

There are benefits to increasing employee engagement, and obstacles to overcome.

Employers need to get to know their employees and show what employees are contributing.

Employees need to know exactly what they are contributing and have a reliable way of measuring this.

The job of a box boy or of a star athlete can both be made more meaningful.

Managers should serve their employees; there are simple actions any manager can take to do that.

Key ideas in The Truth about Employee Engagement

Job satisfaction does not depend on salary alone, and the cost of miserable employees is high.

There are three root causes of job misery and these can affect anyone.

There are benefits to increasing employee engagement, and obstacles to overcome.

Employers need to get to know their employees and show what employees are contributing.

Employees need to know exactly what they are contributing and have a reliable way of measuring this.

The job of a box boy or of a star athlete can both be made more meaningful.

Managers should serve their employees; there are simple actions any manager can take to do that.

Who should read The Truth about Employee Engagement

Categories with The Truth about Employee Engagement

Books like The Truth about Employee Engagement

What our members say

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