Employee EngagementEmily Kenney

Metropolitan State UniversityOrganizational Communications December 8th 2013

INTRODUCTION:Having great leaders in the workplace is essential for any company to succeed. Research shows however that it takes much more than a few great minds to make a company really prosper. Total employee engagement is needed on all levels in order to really thrive in todays economy (Bhatti, 2011, Xu, 2011). Engagement is twofold taking both sides of the equation to make it whole. Companies need to give employees meaningful fulfillment in their work lives and employees must come prepared to take on challenges and pursue greater heights (Robertson, 2010 Shorbaji, 2011, Wang 2013). Engagement in the workplace is deliberate and does not occur without concentrated effort from all parties; it comes from both inside the individual employees and the external corporate working.Self, peer, and managerial evaluation are key factors in employee engagement. No singular piece is able to provide total engagement. Similar to a chain reaction each piece plays off the other, propelling engagement up or down depending on the circumstances. In order to harness engagement employees must have a sense of belonging, challenge, freedom and purpose. People spend years of their lives at work, they want to know that what they do with their time will count for something (Bakosh, 2007, Debow, 2011, Lupfer, 2013, Macleod, 2013, Malcolm, 2013, & Xu, 2011).MOTIVATION:Engagement is a balance of motivators, these come from both external and internal sources. Too often businesses rely only on external motivators, but as Dan Pink (2013) discusses it's not only about giving out nicer carrots and sharper sticks when it comes to employee engagement. It is more reliant on the internal aspect; people must want to find purpose in their work and seek mastery in what they do (Pink, 2013). If a company is only seeking compliance from its employees preventive controls will do, but in order to engage them you have to allow them to be creative and work outside the box (Cho, 2011, Christ, 2012). Too many preventive controls can cause employees to feel smothered and make moral plummet. Detective controls on the other hand allow for risk taking, problem solving and creativity. For total engagement of employees there must be a balance between creativity and control (Christ, 2012).Intrinsic motivators are described well in Maslows hierarchy. In this model needs are broken down into five categories, physiological, security, social, esteem and on the top of the pyramid self-actualization. The pyramid has the basic survival needs at the bottom and the more complex needs like social acceptance and fulfillment towards the top (Bakosh, 2007, Eisenberg, 2010, Goodall Jr., 2010, & Trethewey, 2010). In order to engage employees it is important that companies seek to fulfill these higher level needs.Extrinsic motivators can also be viewed at contingent, the if you do this, you get that theory. This can be used in the workplace in the form of bonuses, prizes and other opportunities to climb the corporate ladder. Performance pressure and competition can also be good outside motivators giving employees accountability to others in their environment (Gardner, 2012, Hamilton, 2013, Macleod, 2014, & Mirvis, 2012). Furthermore, it is important that managers be leaders others want to follow. They must establish respect, reciprocate it, as well as, provide a feeling of trustworthiness (Bhatti, 2011, Cho, 2011, Gardner, 2012, Hamilton, 2013, Wang, 2013, & Xu, 2011). It is paramount leaders take a bona fide interest in their employees and assiduously assess employee motivators so they are able to cater to them.APPROACH:Much of employee engagement lies in authentic leadership, the approach that is used to introduce change and office citizenship (Cho, 2011, & Wang, 2013). It can also be viewed in terms of transactional, relational and developmental approaches. It is important to give employees a sense of purpose and camaraderie and to make it feel authentic. Listening to employees sincerely and developing rapport about both work related and personal topics provides a deeper sense of commitment in the workplace (Mirvis, 2012, & Silverman, 2006).The transactional end of engagement is tied to addressing employee concerns and establishing an equitable relationship. It is paramount to garner trust, and boost morale in the workplace through authentic leadership (Mirvis, 2012, Wang, 2013). Everyone needs to be held to similar standards and share the work burden, people need to feel that they are treated fairly and equally. Managers need to implement consistency in how things operate and a protocol in dealing with various issues so that there is an equilibrium of communication and action (Wang, 2013). How change is implemented and the presentation of information can also contribute to the transactional nature of engagement (Christ, 2012).How people come together in the workplace is a part of the relational approach. Things like giving to others and doing charity work can build a team's spirit and build an attitude of the collective being socially responsible (Xu, 2011). Common goals, especially on a deeper external level builds community (Scott, 2012). Corporate culture is also a part of the relational approach, with all the hours spent at work it is important to foster a good climate in the office. Feelings of being included, recognized and valued by managers and peers helps positively propel the corporate culture (Bakosh, 2007, Gardner, 2012, Malcolm, 2013).Ongoing development and skill building is essential to engagement. Keeping employees minds sharp and their skills current helps build engagement and allows for change to occur more smoothly. It can also quell employees fear of replacement and becoming outdated if they are able to continually pursue new skills and mastery of their existing ones. The more well versed and versatile your workforce the better it will be able to adapt in times of change (Mirvis, 2012, Silverman, 2006, & Xu, 2011).GOALS:Goal setting is another great motivator. Employees need to know that they are working toward a bigger, greener pasture. A mnemonic device often use in goal setting is S.M.A.R.T, specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound (Lavinsky, 2013 & Meyer, 2003). This action based formula ensures goals are set, resources allocated and accountability is present when setting goals. It is important to narrow the focus of goals with a time line of what should be expected, what resources are needed and how progress will be measured. Goal creation should cover the who, what, when, where and why questions. Employees must set goals with purpose and seek to gain skills that will be mutually beneficial (Malcolm, 2013).Optimal goal setting is done when team members are allowed time in advance to calculate their objectives and thoroughly research and plot their course (Malcolm, 2013). By performing a core evaluation of their individual attributes they are better able to realize their potential, this in turn helps drive engagement (Lavinsky, 2013, Pink, 2013 Shorbaji, 2011). Studies suggest the more involved an employee is with their talent management and goal setting the more self-efficacy they retain. The iconic phrase, I think I can, I think I can, is pivotal to employee engagement. Team members must have a sense of self-empowerment and a positive outlook in order to truly be engaged with their work (Bakosh, 2007, Robertson, 2010, Shorbaji, 2011).Managers also have a fundamental role in goal setting, it is vital they provide coaching and resources to team members. By taking a genuine interest and concisely assessing employees skills, they can more effectively mentor and challenge others (Lupfer, 2013). They also play an acute role in terms of on boarding. It is much easier to garner engagement when you have selected the right people. As Silverman (2006) explains, before a company can begin to think about its objectives they must have the right people on the bus. This means making a thorough evaluation of people before bringing them in the door. Every place has its own individual atmosphere, so it is important to select people who will add to the culture and not detract from it.

HEALTH:The importance of an employees outlook on life is critical to their sense of engagement, self-esteem and mental health play a huge role in this. Those who have a positive outlook on life are better equipped to cope with challenges in the workplace, viewing them as opportunities instead of obstacles. Employees with a good emotional balance are more alert, outgoing, enthusiastic, and are able to network advantageously. It is a chain reaction of sorts; positive self-evaluation leads to feelings of impact and control over one's environment, which further propels them to seek rewards through productive, economically successful measures (Bakosh, 2007, Robertson, 2010, Shorbaji, 2011).Mental healths shadow consumes much more than just the individual sufferer. The neuroticism of one person can be felt by colleagues and clients, this in turn translates into customer satisfaction and profitability. Negativity and positivity can be infectious in the corporate environment, one person's attitude has a ripple effect expanding to those around them (Robertson, 2010). It is important to feel nurtured, safe, cared for and respected in the workplace (Macleod, 2013). When people feel safe they are more likely to take risks, this in turn can lead to innovation (Bakosh, 2007).A Gallup poll estimated the cost of disengaged workers to be a staggering three hundred billion a year. Mental health has been intricately tied to physical health which can further escalate the fiscal impact. This deficit is made up of lost wages from sick days, disability claims, turnover, loss of productivity and poor quality work (Amabile, 2011, Robertson, 2010, Shorbaji, 2011). With profit losses this large it is no wonder why employers are after the magic engagement cure. In 2012 less than a third of employees were actively engaged and over sixty percent of people were looking for other work. For a small company this could be devastating, as engaged employees are shown to bring in over a quarter more in profits (Scott, 2012).CONCLUSION:Employee engagement is the new it term in todays technology laden workforce. With developments and change occurring every moment of the work day, it is pivotal employees are engaged. Job creation and economic stability depend people being innovative, willing to take risks and forge ahead with new ideas (Friedman, 2011). It is paramount now more then ever that every individual in every level of a company be fully present and ready to take the lead and drive home success. Expansion is only possible through a collectively engaged effort (Amabile, 2011, Bhatti, 2011).A successfully engaged workplace consists of managers who are effectively involved in propelling others in seeking out new skills and adequately recognize employee efforts and contributions (Bhatti, 2011, Cho, 2011, Christ, 2012, Gardner, 2012, Mirvis, 2012, Wang, 2013, Xu, 2011). Skills and attributes must be well assessed by all parties and joint interest in common goals both in the internal organization and society at large are needed (Lupfer, 2013, Malcolm, 2013, Scott, 2012). Employees also must be fully present and posses a positive self-evaluation (Robertson, 2010). Engagement is a collective effort that takes everyone from the CEO down to the last seemingly insignificant employee.

Annotated Bibliography

Ambille, T. (2011) Do happier people work harder? New York Times, The Opinion Pages, SR7Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/opinion/sunday/do-happier-people-work-harder.htmlThis article provides various statistic in relation to employee engagement. Gallup estimates the cost of Americas disengagement crisis at a staggering $300 billion in lost productivity annually. Further is states that when people dont care about their jobs or their employers, they dont show up consistently, they are produce less and their work quality suffers. Workers well-being depends, in large part, on managers ability and willingness to facilitate workers accomplishments by removing obstacles, providing help and acknowledging strong effort

Bakosh, R. (2007, September).How to motivate your sales force to great performance. Talent &Organization Performance. Retrieved from http://www.accenture.com/us-en/outlook/Pages/outlook-journal-2007-motivate-sales-force.aspxThis web article dives into the key elements that motivate a sales force to a high level of performance. Sales professionals have basic human needs that must be filled. To effectively motivate your sales professionals they must feel a strong sense of trust, esteem, social recognition and improved chances to fulfill ones potential. Bakosh mentions Maslows hierarchical understanding of basic or innate human needs. People want to be motivated, they want to be successful, and their motivation is the physiological needs, people need to put food on the table, provide for their family. As people strive to meet and exceed their goals they are rewarded with incentive of more money and possibly other benefits. The need of trust is crucial to motivate, people need to know that they are going to be compensated justly according to their performance. This trust meets the need for safety and security. The next two principles in motivating sales people is the need to belong to a group and that they receive appropriate recognition for the job they are doing. Most people want to a part of a group whether it is at work, or a team sport. The point is everyone needs to feel that they play an important role in the success of the team. Furthermore they need to know that they are being recognized for the job they are doing. This recognition ensures that people have meaning, and that the work they are doing matters. Also by giving recognition professional esteem is built and promotes further motivation to improve ones ability to reach goals and be successful. The last principle described is the fulfillment of potential, or self-actualization. Even at a young age we see that self-actualization is very important as seen in the engine that could. I think I can I think I can! And when he does it, confidence is gained and he then says, I thought I could, I thought I could. The point being that when people speak out the truth, and begin with the actions they will then gain a greater sense fulfillment and success and continue to grow and build and reach their potential. When sales professionals are challenged and given the opportunity to grow and achieve greatness they will reach their full potential.

Bhatti, W. A., Waris, S., Zaheer, A., & Kashif-Ur-Rehman. (2011). The Effect of Commitmentand Motivation on Human Talent and its Contribution to Organizational Performance. Management & Marketing 6(3), 471-482 This article discussed employee motivation and commitment as being a culmination of several different factors. It reports that commitment, motivation, dedication to an organization, nurturing and individual development, as some of the prime factors in employee engagement. It uses the term human capital to refer to the product workers provide to the company. The more engaged employees are the more capital they are worth. Failure of a company to manage their human capital can hurt their reputation and hinder their profits. In order to ward off these types of things it is critical to project future business needs and develop the talent, allowing for them to grow as the business needs change. By always providing ongoing training and resources the company is more flexible in times of growth and thought to be more adaptive in changing circumstances. This can also aid in employee retention.Treating employees with respect and seeing things from their view is also integral in retaining good talent. The employer must be as dedicated to its employees as they want their employees to be to them. It is truly a two way street. The more valued employees feels the more they will strive to achieve. This can be displayed through incentives and praise. In turn the valued employee is liable to continue achieving as they feel committed to their work and want to have further rewards and fulfillment.

Cho, Y., & Perry, J. (2011). Intrinsic Motivation and Employee Attitudes: Role of ManagerialTrustworthiness, Goal Directness, and Extrinsic Reward Expectancy. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 32(4), 382-406 doi: 10.1177/0734371x11421495First and foremost the key to motivating employees is to understand what motivates people. What are root motivators that enables an employee to get things done efficiently and to perform at a maximum level? In this study Cho and Perry review key components to employee motivation and engagement and how their relationships effect the output of performance and job satisfaction. The initial concept that steps off the page is around intrinsic motivation, the inner being that in its own existence in humans, it is the fact that all have internal motivation, each of us are born with it, and each of us can be influence by how we were raised, the culture we live in and in the our work place.An example of intrinsic motivation is that people like to help other people, managers would be wise to direct their teams focus on the big picture by helping people. Humans want meaning in life, they want to know that what they do counts for something, whether it be to accomplish something at work or to provide for their hungry family. If managers can rally these motivations they then build managerial trustworthiness which in turn promotes the momentum of motivation experienced by individuals and teams alike. Managerial trustworthiness is crucial to establishing respect, authority and the ability to be a leader people want to follow. Furthermore all humans have a basic intrinsic need to succeed, which leads to the importance of setting clear goals. People are motivated by effectively setting goals with the strong expectation that they can be achieved. When individuals consistently achieve their goals their confidence rises and their performance soars to the top.

Christ, M., & Emett, S., & Summers, S., & Wood, D. (2012) The Effects of Preventative andDetective Controls on Employee Performance and Motivation. Contemporary Accounting Research 29(2), 432-452. Doi: 10.1111/j.1911-3846-2011-01106.xWhat is the better way control or creativity? This study shows how formal controls influence employee behavior. There are two specific types of control, preventative controls that are designed to discourage or deter problems before they happen and detective controls designed to discover issues and address them after they occur.Studies show that although these controls are different they both have various pros and cons. The main focus is how do these controls effect employee engagement? When an organization over communicates the preventative controls employee moral trends to decrease, along with employee job satisfaction, the job at hand is not fulfilling and performance can suffer. On the other hand detective controls let employees be more creative in their problem solving abilities encouraging open minds and new ways of performing.In some industries formal preventative measures are in place to mitigate risk. The ability to follow policies and provide an outstanding customer experience takes problem solving skills and creativity. Regulations play a huge role in this, bottom line organizations need to take a close look at how they are presenting new policies and procedures to ensure the individual employees who are taking action and following the policies are not lost in the mix. Ultimately its about presentation of the new policies. Poor presentation can create a lack of employee engagement and cause a various issues in the work place. The key is for the entire organization to buy into the idea and be able to ask questions to ensure they understand.

Debow, D. (2011) Three ways to boost commitment at work. CNN Money, Retrieved fromhttp://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03/03/3-ways-to-boost-commitment-at-work/Make face timeManagers can have an immense impact on employee commitment. Managers can also fail to motivate by not having a presence in the office. Giving orders is one form of communication however by being present managers can provide support and feedback to ensure proper execution and commitment to outstanding quality and employee engagement.

Say ThanksPeople work hard day in day out, managers and executive personnel need to ensure that they are providing appropriate gratitude towards their front line employees. Recognition is contagious, and when provided effectively can spur on outstanding employee performance, continued commitment to the organization and overall employee satisfaction and employee engagement.

Connect work with meaningEmployees have a human need to have purpose and feel that what they do really matters. Lack of vision will prove to be a detriment to employee motivation, in that when people are not reaching for something they become stagnant and complacent.

Eisenberg, E., Goodall Jr., H., & Trethewey, A. (2010).Organizational Communication. (6th ed.,pp. 41, 59-78, 141-166). Boston & New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Friedman, T., Mandelbaum, M. (2011).That used to be us. (1st ed.). New York: Farrar, Strausand Giroux.

Gardner, H. K. (2012) Performance Pressure as a Double-edged Sword: Enhancing TeamMotivation but Undermining the Use of Team Knowledge. Administrative Science Quarterly 57(1)1-46, Harvard Business School.Key focuses throughout the article include performance pressure, accountability, team effectiveness, knowledge use, and employee motivation. In high performance pressure environments accountability is very important. Heidi Garner, assistant professor at Harvard Business School states that when accountability is in place that people tend to want to respect those who are giving the orders and that it gives people something to strive for. It is crucial that accountability is consistent with each team member to ensure that everyone respects direction from management. Furthermore people are motivated by many factors, including money, family and the opportunity to climb a corporate ladder. As a manager it is crucial to understand what drives performance and how it impacts a teams working performance.

Hamilton, C. (2013).Top ten ideas for employee engagement. Small Business. Retrieved fromhttp://smallbusiness.chron.com/top-ten-ideas-employee-engagement-31543.htmlTrustEmployers should provide openness and transparency when dealing with workers, even when they have to disclose bad news such as reduced hours. Employees trust executives who live by example, so business owners should hold themselves to the same standard of conduct as they do their employees.

CompensationEmployees expect fair compensation for their work and business owners should provide producing employees with bonuses. This compensation should also include pay increases and better positions for employees who consistently exceed expectations. Employers should offer compensation that involves employees in the future of the company, such as offering stock options and profit sharing.

GamesBusiness owners should work competitions into their business models to engage employees. Splitting employees into groups and keeping score of their accomplishments breaks up the monotony of work, gives them focus and increases productivity. Social recognition of employee victories further develops engagement.

Lavinsky, D. (2013) 7 Ways to Pump Up Employee Engagement in Your Office. NBC News.Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/53144615/ns/business-small_business/There are various factors to consider when setting goals. They should always be set by the employee. They should be measurable and timely and reviewed in a consistent manner. Goals should also be broken down into big and small pieces and should leverage team accountability.

Lupfer, E. (2013, September 26).10 employee engagement ideas that get serious results. SmallBusiness. Retrieved from http://socialmediatoday.com/elizabeth-lupfer/1769696/10-employee-engagement-ideas-get-serious-resultsLeading and coaching employees to success helping employees to be successful at their job, and expanding their roles as employees.Recognize and Reward Your Employees builds healthy bond between you and the employee catch them doing things right and it will reinforce their practices.Increase Employee Involvement help them see the greater picture and how what they do matters in the overall success.

Macleod, D. (2013).What is employee engagement? Engage For Success. Retrieved fromhttp://www.engageforsuccess.org/about/what-is-employee-engagement/Employees committed to their organizations goals and success are generally more engaged and have higher self esteem. In order to best harness engagement it is important for managers to promote mutual fairness and trust. It is also important that employees come armed with self knowledge and empowerment. When all these factors come together correctly job satisfaction and engagement are likely outcomes.

Malcolm, J. (2013). [Web log message]. Jack Malcolm Retrieved fromhttp://jackmalcolm.com/blog/2011/06/10-ways-mindset-can-influence-salespersons-success/Sales performance is related to ones mindset. It is important to find out how your people think, and know who they are on an individual level. In doing so it gives you the opportunity to find ways to communicate appropriately and have a greater impact on their outlook.Of these mindsets three if effectively implemented can have positive effect on the team resulting in increased sales performance. Organizations have goals for all facets of the company, these goals trickle downward to the front line employees. As managers to the front line employees it will be very beneficial to help team members set their own goals. To orchestrate an effective goal setting meeting, give team members the opportunity to set their own goals prior to having the meeting. Keep in mind as a manager you may already have a goal set for them in your mind, however let them come up with it and ask them how they determined their goal and how you could help them be successful? This approach is very empowering to the individual setting the goal.The second is that of creating an optimistic work environment, meaning that if sales are behind, do not quit or let it be negative event. Find a way to rally the troops and speak out confidence and optimism in that we can successful as a team. Finally create an environment of coaching and feedback, encourage it on a daily basis both manager to employee and peer to peer. What this does it creates an opportunity of positive peer pressure that pushes the team to drive towards success.

Meyer, P. (2003) Smart criteria. Wikipedia. Retrieved fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteriaA general overview of the SMART criteria with the idea of effective goal setting. Smart goals is a mnemonic device meaning:Specific precise objective/goal to accomplishMeasurable ability to set a quantity of completionAssignable who is responsible for the project/goalRealistic must be reasonable and attainableTime-related when completion required

Mirvis, P. (2012) Employee Engagement and CSR: Transactional, Relational, and DevelopmentalApproaches. California Management Review, 54(4), 93-117This review takes a deep dive into the corporate responsibility to engage employees, through way of positive motivation, and giving employees a purpose in the work place. The three main approaches include transactional, relational and developmental. Each in its own way has value and adds to overall employee engagement.The transactional approach looks for ways to establish programs that address employee concern around employee engagement and finding ways to help boost morale and job satisfaction. The second approach is relational in that the organization and its employees come together and create a corporate commitment to social responsibility. Finally the last approach reviewed is the developmental, where a company is completely involved in talent management and creating strong employee values. In regards to communication it is key that if companies want to keep employees satisfied in their jobs an investment needs to be made in their well-being and professional career.

Pink, D (2013) Top 5 ted talks from employee engagement. Green Mango. Retrieved fromhttp://greenmango.cc/blog/2013/9/19/top-5-ted-talks-for-employee-engagementThis TED talk is about employee engagement, it discuss the disconnect between science and business practices. Pink suggests its not about giving employees nicer carrots and sharp sticks, but about giving them emotional fulfillment and a creative outlet.

Robertson, I. T., & Cooper, C. L. (2010). Full engagement: The Integration of EmployeeEngagement and Psychological Well-being. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 31(4), 324-336. This article discusses employee engagement in relation to their mental health. It is purported the impact of employee mental health is significant on the economy. It plays a role in how productive employees are while at work, the amount of time they take away from work and several other factors.It is thought that the more stable workers are mentally the more they are able to bring to an organizations table. Mentally stable employees are seen as more confident and committed to the positions they hold and thus able to generate better quality work. Mental health and the level of employee engagement are tied to less sick time, overturn, customer satisfaction and profitability.Mental health has long been linked to physical health, this in turn can create job strain when they are not well balanced. The better a person feels, the more positive their reflection of things become, this carries over to the larger scale in a company. Happier more positive employees act as a contagion, likewise so do miserable, sick ones. Engagement is also tied to feelings of having a purpose as is mental health, the more purposeful and valuable an employee feels the more likely they are to strive to make gains at work. Employee engagement often is viewed with a very narrow lens of citizenship and commitment. This has been shown to translate better when employees feel a sense of being nurtured in their work environment. It makes people feel less like another cog in the wheel and more like individuals who are capable of greatness. Taking a more mental health approach in the workplace can easily translate into higher productivity and a more positive attitude when approaching difficult tasks. Better mental health also allows for an individual to perceive feedback less critically and see minor events as defeating. People with greater psychological health are able to problem solve better, accept change more readily and are generally more enthusiastic.The impact of psychological health and employee engagement hold greater weight together, than alone. People with greater levels of mental health are shown to behave differently, this is thought to translate into greater moral, productivity and engagement. Measurement of well-being at work is still in its early stages of development, but even now it is clear there is a link between the two. More research is needed on the subject to clearly define whether the well-being starts at home or in the workplace.

Scott, R. (2012) How to get your employees to stop job hunting. NBC News. Retrieved fromhttp://www.nbcnews.com/id/48177002/Studies show that engaged employees generate an average of between a quarter to a third more profits for their companies. Further, fewer than a third of all employees can be classified as actively engaged at work. This leaves over 66 percent of employees disengaged. At the time of this poll 60 percent of people were actively looking for work.This article reports salary and benefits alone do not lead to employee engagement. Employees need something bigger to be apart such as charity work.

Shorbaji, R., Messarra, L., & Karkoulian, S. (2011). Core-self-evaluation: Predictor of Employee Engagement. The Business Review, Cambridge, 17(1), 276-283.Core evaluation is a combination of four personality traits: Locus of Control, Self-Esteem, Generalized Self-Efficacy, and Neuroticism. This research articles goal is to correlate ones ability to effectively engage in their work and their ability to evaluate their core self. It is believed that people who have a positive outlook and personality tend to be more productive due to their boosted self-confidence; they tend to be more alert, outgoing and knowledgeable of opportunities at work.The research concludes that happier people tend to deal with stress better and thus are more likely to take on challenging tasks and end up faring better than those with negative attitudes. Those that possess a positive self-evaluation have better control and a greater impact on their environment. This in turn leads to more engaged employees and greater economic success for any given company.

Silverman, L. L. (2006). How do you keep the right people on the bus? Try stories. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 29(4), 11-15, 39.This article states before any company can even being to think about what they want to do, they must first ensure, the right people are on the bus, in the right seats and the wrong people are off. This insinuates that before a company can look at what its objectives are they must first get the right management and employees in place. Further this article discusses the need to tell personal stories as a way to offer a connection among workers. Stating the more connect people feel the more likely they are to be high performing. But it is not only telling stories alone that build engagement, it is also listening in a sincere, real manner to others stories too. The more invested employees and management are with one another and the more they are able to see one another as human beings, the more invested in their surrounding they become.

Wang, D., & Hsieh, C (2013). The Effect of Authentic Leadership on Employee Trust andEmployee engagement. Social Behavior and Personality, 41(4), 613-624. doi: 10.2224.sbp.2013.41.4.613Authentic leadership leads to employee trust, and trust leads to employee engagement. Wang and Hsieh review the importance of authentic leadership and how it has an extensive impact on employee engagement and job satisfaction. Employees and people alike desire to follow leaders who have strong values and integrity and provide valuable motivation.Leadership authenticity is developed over time; consistency between communication and action are prove trustworthiness. Studies show that authentic leadership creates positive employee attitudes. Perception is everything, and a leaders word is tested through his actions. To be successful as leader it is imperative to win the employees trust. As leaders gain trust and respect, employees will feel supported and sincerely heard resulting in employee engagement. Authentic leadership promotes a positive environment that creates a deep level of self-awareness and meets a need that all desire to fill.

Xu, J., & Helena, C. T. (2011). How can leaders achieve high employee engagement?Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 32(4), 399-416. This research study aims to link employee engagement and leadership. Engagement is defined as ones ability to use both their mental and physical abilities. In today's society it is critical employers have engaged employees and have them purposefully applying themselves in all their various tasks. Engaged employees are invaluable to any company and can profoundly effect a companys bottom line. Employee engagement is a delicate act of teamwork, dedication and purpose; when combined properly this vital mix can make a dream into an economic powerhouse.According to Xu (2011), engagement is seen as a balance of several factors including; motivation, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, proactive behaviors, leadership and organizational citizenship behaviors. Through good leadership others become invigorated, mentally challenged and thus push themselves to achieve more. Prior research suggests that tasks, as well as, relationships are interconnected to employee engagement. The amount of control an individual has in the work setting is also related to their level of engagement; studies show the more a person feels in control the more satisfaction they have in their work lives. More engaged employees lead to greater tenure, but in turn can lead to less engagement over time as the honeymoon stage wears away (Xu, 2011). Ultimately leaders who are able to develop and support a team are shown to have more engaged workers. If a leader is able to merge their vision, with those who work for him, it provides the ground work for greater adaptability and productivity across the team as people are more engaged.

Employee Engagement Employee Engagement