“Beyond Engagement” Tell of a Process to Energize Your Staff


Usefulness
Content
Freshness

“Beyond Engagement” deals with the motivation and energizing of staff in the workplace. It takes a more scientific look at the approach that managers should be taking to achieve this. Dangling a carrot to entice better performance is no longer seen to be effective. Better awareness of the needs of the workforce, and the implementation of a more engaging and humanized workplace are what are prescribed here by Brady G. Wilson, co-founder of Juice Inc.

How to Manage Despite Your Boss

If you buy something through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more.

An abundance of books have been written on the motivation staff in the workplace. The book “Beyond Engagement: A Brain-Based Approach That Blends the Engagement Managers Want with the Energy Employees Need” seeks to take the process of motivation and engagement to a higher level.

Engagement is good, but if not done correctly can be fruitless or produce short term results. If the engagement process is seen by staff as an annual activity resulting in little or no change, then it will be regarded as a waste of time, and can actually lead to less motivated staff.

“Beyond Engagement” aims to provide you with practical techniques to create sustained engagement, leading to consistently motivated and high performing staff.

The book is broken down into 10 chapters on leadership principles, each concluding with a case study underlining the points made in the chapter. In it, the author takes a scientific as well as a practical look at what it is that really energizes staff in the work place.

The use of engagement surveys and how these can often lead to employees becoming less engaged and less motivated is discussed. The whole process of carrying out engagement surveys can be costly and time-consuming, and more often than not are seen by staff as nothing but a waste of time.

The author writes:

“As a result, employees come to see these as a management con game. We’ve witnessed situations where up to 50 percent of the employee population believe no meaningful outcomes will occur as a result of the engagement survey.”

It is only through proper engagement with staff that it becomes possible to fully understand what drives them to become more productive and energized. The author details the way the brain works and reacts to different situations. He describes the mindset of employees and what has been found through brain science to be the real needs of employees from their employer.

Once a manager is able to understand the mindset of their employee, they can then go on to successfully use the techniques outlined by the author in “Beyond Engagement” to energize their staff accordingly.

Employees want to be valued and trusted. They believe that they have been employed to do a job based on their skills and persona.

Yet many employers find it difficult to trust their employees enough to allow them to use their personal qualities to the fullest extent. Additionally, they fail to understand what influences their performance, results and relationships in the workplace.

“Beyond Engagement” aims to better equip managers with the skills to comprehend the mindset of their employees, and enable them to energize their staff through real engagement.

Brady G. Wilson (@BradyJuiceInc) has, for 20 years, been guiding business leader in the best practical ways and strategies to energize their businesses. In that time he has worked with a variety of leading companies such as American Express, Yum! Brands Canada, BMO, and various other Fortune 500 companies.

Not only is Mr. Wilson passionate about building better and more productive relationships in the workplace, he is also an accomplished carpenter, and is also busy building a cottage for his family on Manitoulin Island.

Psychology has always been an interest of mine. In “Beyond Engagement” the author has skilfully cross referenced the way the brain works and how it impacts on a person’s behavior and energy in the workplace.

While not completely discounting performance reviews, “Beyond Engagement” focuses more on the day to day events that influence the performance and energy of an employee. The author takes a scientific look at why employees and people in general react to certain situations in the way that they do.

At the start of each chapter in “Beyond Engagement” the author points out where certain factors that may be demotivating staff can be observed, and the kind of effect that they can have on staff. Once identified, methods to overcome these demotivating factors are put forward.

I particularly enjoyed Chapter 9, “Meet Needs Not Scores.” During this chapter the author makes the distinction between needs and wants. These five driving needs which we all have are relevant in everyday life not only in the workplace.

However, for a manager, by simply understanding these five driving needs, they will be in a better position to energize their staff.

The author writes:

“There’s a difference between your employees’ wants and their needs, and as a manager, it’s important for you to be able to discern the difference.”

While not being the longest motivational book I have ever read, “Beyond Engagement” certainly takes a more scientific look on the subject than most other books.

However, when discussing partnering versus parenting, the author uses history and the subject of colonialism to try and get his point across. I am sure that the author could have found a better example when attempting this, and perhaps should stick with science and psychology and leave history to the historians.

Business owners, managers, and supervisors should all find “Beyond Engagement” a useful and enlightening read. Even if you are not any of these but are interested in psychology, you too should certainly enjoy the book.

“Beyond Engagement” gives a scientific insight into what it is that adds drive and energy to an employee in the workplace. It provides employers with the techniques to recognize, understand, and fulfill the needs of their employees and to create energy.

It has been established for many years now that perfunctory engagement surveys coupled with an across the board pay rise is no way to energize a workforce. It is time that business leaders look to what has proved to be a more effective approach, and to take the advice and experience that Mr. Wilson has to share.

Get discounts and special offers on new and classic business books with an Audible Premium Plus membership. Learn more and sign up for an account today.

Comment ▼

John Blunden John Blunden is a Book Reviewer for Small Business Trends. He is a British writer now living in South Africa where he successfully owned and ran a variety of businesses for several years before deciding to take up his passion for writing.

Comments are closed.