The Invisible Employee: Using Carrots to See the Hidden Potential in Everyone, Second Edition

5.1. VISIBLE RESULTS

5.1.1. The ROI (and ROE and ROA) of Visibility

Wouldn't it be great if a single business strategy allowed you to meet your business objectives simultaneously? Here's how it works: Customer loyalty and investor loyalty are all founded on employee engagement and loyalty, which triggers high-level performance. And what improves employee engagement and loyalty? Employee recognition.

And it all begins with a leader who is willing to put her workers first—and stand behind them, letting them bask in the glow of recognition.

Marcus Buckingham, author of^[] The One Thing You Need to Know, explained it this way, "Good managers don't need reminding of the power of praise. They seem to know instinctively that praise isn't merely a reaction to great performance; it is the cause of it."

Something amazing happens when employees see managers using their valuable time and effort to honor them. It touches their egos. (Let's be honest, who doesn't like to be recognized?) More than that, it creates a shared moment. This shared moment of mutual respect builds an emotional connection between the company, manager, and employee. Because of that connection, the employee engages and commits to the work at hand, and is willing to do more than put in time. That strengthens the corporate culture and enables managers to deliver more to the company through the efforts of the people who actually do the work—the employees. In short, you create an engaged workforce.

So, what does an engaged ...