Engagement is a Trendy Word – But Does it Really Work?

More than one-third of employees feel disengaged at work. Many business educators and coaches have discussed engagement, emphasizing its importance to an organization and suggesting programs to inspire and elevate the “buy-in” from your team.

Let me say right from the start, engagement is pretty simple to cultivate – once you understand how to achieve it.

When asked why, two of the most common reasons employees cite are:

  • Feeling disconnected from their work, purpose, or colleagues.
  • Experiencing a manager’s lack of engagement, which cascades quickly to the team.

This final point is what motivates my work.

I am on a mission to ensure that every person in a supervisory, managerial, or leadership role understands the massive opportunity their position brings. Yes, it’s a responsibility—but above all, it’s an opportunity.

As Robin S. Sharma, the Canadian author, once said:

“Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It’s about impact, influence, and inspiration.”

I recently wrote about an article in the MIT Sloan Management Review, titled “What Makes Work Meaningful or Meaningless.” Like the Gallup study, it confirms that the influence of a manager or leader is often the deciding factor in whether people show up excited about their work—or stop showing up at all.

The figures are enormous and costly.

Disengagement leads to lower productivity, increased mistakes, higher turnover, and a ripple effect that undermines the entire team.

But here’s the good news: the solution isn’t complex.

The Power of a Manager’s Presence

Earlier this year, Harvard Business Review published a powerful article arguing that the most important leadership skill is simply being present.

And it’s true—managers often underestimate just how much their presence impacts the people around them.

How they present themselves, how they speak, their tone, attitude, and consistency—all of these factors set the emotional temperature for the team.

A manager who is motivated, engaged, and accessible fosters a sense of psychological safety, making it easier for people to contribute, take risks, and grow.

In contrast, a detached, inattentive, or unavailable manager does the opposite. They may not intend to, but they inadvertently signal that people and their work are unimportant.

The encouraging part? Any supervisor, manager, or leader can begin practicing this skill today.

Five Practical Ways to Build Engagement

If you want your team to feel connected, valued, and motivated, you must model those qualities yourself. Here are five practical ways to start:

1. Be Fully Present

Presence is powerful—and rare.

The most valuable gift you can give another human being is your complete, intentional, and uninterrupted attention.

So when a team member speaks with you, stop multitasking. Put the phone down. Step away from the computer. Physically turn toward them and give them 100% of your focus; your undivided attention.

People can feel the difference between lip service and genuine listening. When they feel heard, they feel valued. You know this to be true—because you’ve felt it yourself.

2. Recognize Effort, Not Just Results

Many managers wait for the “big wins” before giving recognition. However, engagement grows when leaders recognize their attitudes and efforts along the way.

One of my favourite books, The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, reminds us that people have different preferences for how they receive recognition. It’s a worthwhile read.

Start meetings by celebrating small wins from the past week.

In one client culture survey I worked on, this simple shift made an enormous difference in how employees felt.

Recognizing progress builds momentum. It tells people their contributions matter, even before they cross the finish line.

3. Share the Why

When someone tells you what to do and when to do it, you want to know why it matters.

I recently worked with a team that maintained public parks for a municipality. Their manager consistently reminded them that their work provided families with safe and welcoming spaces to play and connect. That sense of purpose elevated their day-to-day tasks into something meaningful.

When you connect tasks to a larger mission, you transform work from a checklist into a calling.

At the start of a project, explain: Who will it help? How will it move us forward? Why does it matter now?

4. Ask More Questions

Managers often feel pressure to have the answers. But research shows engagement rises when employees think they have a voice in shaping solutions.

Ask simple but powerful questions like:

  • What’s working well right now?
  • What’s not working so well?
  • If you could improve one aspect of our process, what would it be?

(If these sound familiar, they come from another of my favourite books, It’s Your Ship by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff.)

But remember: after you ask, listen. You listen not to defend the status quo quickly, but to understand what your team needs to do their best work.

Schedule one-on-one conversations focused solely on feedback—not tasks, not deadlines—but on their perspective.

5. Bring the Energy

Your energy is contagious.

Even post-COVID, we remain infectious to one another—not with illness, but with emotion and energy.

If you show up frustrated, disengaged, or exhausted, the team feels it immediately.

That doesn’t mean you have to be relentlessly positive. It means you model commitment and resilience—even on tough days.

Take care of yourself first. Sleep. Movement. Reflection. Whatever keeps you grounded. When you show up with clarity and energy, your team finds it easier to do the same.

The Ripple Effect

When you practice these habits consistently, something powerful happens.

Your team begins to respond. They show initiative. They collaborate more. They bring new ideas forward.

Engagement is not a switch you flip. It’s a culture you build.

And it starts with you.

You don’t need a bigger budget or a new program to transform your team’s attitude toward work.

You can simply decide:

“I will be the reason my team feels excited to come to work.”

That choice—to be intentional, present, and encouraging—creates a ripple effect far beyond today’s tasks.

Because when your team feels engaged, they don’t just get more accomplished; They build something worth showing up for.

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As a leader, your presence alone is powerful.

You don’t always need the perfect words.

You don’t always need to solve everything.

You need to show up—open-hearted, grounded, curious, and willing to notice.