The CEO, Chief Engagement Officer

John Smythe worked with the McKinsey & Company management consulting firm to perform a detailed study on employee engagement. This book describes the conclusions of that study and outlines operational findings for company leaders. Although generally rather dry in its linear format, it nonetheless contains a few choice morsels that practitioners will be more than delighted to put into practice.
The main conclusion of the author is that engagement does not arise from employee satisfaction or from manipulation by leaders adept at internal marketing. The key to commitment, concludes the study, is proving to people that they are trusted. Employees must consequently be given sufficient freedom to find their own solutions so that they can manage their projects and their assigned duties most effectively. In short, they must feel empowered to produce a value-added result.
Chapter 3 in particular provides a detailed study of the various approaches for obtaining commitment—say, sell, integrate, jointly develop—and shows the clear superiority of the latter approach in many situations and over time. Replete with examples and quotes, this chapter incites readers to put the situations in which each approach is best suited into perspective.
The key drivers of commitment are presented in the second part of the book, sometimes a bit too superficially. Nonetheless, readers will find very relevant recommendations here, specifically with regard to testing and self-discovery. This book should be complemented with additional sources for more precise information on practical implementation.