The Engagement Shift: Why Leaders Must Rethink How They Inspire Their Teams
The Reality of Disengagement
Walk into a disengaged workplace and you can feel it instantly. Associates wear frowns instead of smiles. Conversations are minimal, interactions with guests are mechanical, and nobody goes out of their way to anticipate needs or create memorable experiences. In these environments, loyalty to the organization — and to its leaders — can be traded for as little as a quarter or fifty cents more an hour somewhere else.
The impact is real: disengaged teams consistently deliver lower guest satisfaction, reduce revenue opportunities, and weaken the reputation of the very brands they represent.
The Cost of Disengagement
Research confirms what many leaders already sense. Gallup estimates that disengaged employees cost U.S. companies hundreds of billions of dollars annually in lost productivity. In hospitality, disengagement ripples out quickly — one associate’s indifference can taint a guest’s entire stay, leading to poor reviews, lost repeat business, and diminished brand equity.
But the inverse is also true. When teams are engaged, everything changes. Guest experiences elevate. Associates interact with energy and enthusiasm. Revenue climbs. And perhaps most importantly, loyalty deepens. Engaged associates don’t leave for an incremental pay increase because they feel connected, seen, and valued.
At Go Forward and Inspire, we believe nobody is ever “just a housekeeper,” “just a server,” or “just a bellman.” Engaged leaders connect every role to a higher purpose. They understand the balance between over-supervising and under-supervising, creating space for associates to feel empowered, creative, and uniquely themselves.
The Engagement Shift
That philosophy is at the heart of our program, Inspire: The Engagement Shift. It isn’t a training fad. It’s a leadership movement — a call for leaders to shift from managing tasks to inspiring people.
The Engagement Shift rests on four anchors:
Define Engagement – Create clarity so associates know exactly what engagement means for them and the organization.
Identify Key Drivers – Uncover what makes people feel seen, valued, and supported.
Commit to Strategies – Translate insight into action leaders can implement immediately.
Establish Accountability – Ensure engagement becomes culture, not a short-lived campaign.
And accountability must be distributed at every level:
Executives set the tone by tying engagement to organizational goals and performance metrics.
Middle managers operationalize it by coaching teams and ensuring consistency.
Frontline leaders bring it to life daily, reinforcing purpose and recognizing effort in the moment.
When accountability is shared, engagement becomes sustainable — not dependent on one layer of leadership.
Engagement in Action
In a recent property visit, I spoke with associates following a culture training session. They were excited about the new program we had rolled out, but their first question wasn’t about the tools or activities. They wanted to know: Will you be coming back? Will you hold our leaders accountable for following through on what we just learned?
Their honesty struck me. In the past, the property had offered similar trainings, but without consistent leadership accountability, momentum fizzled. Associates began to feel like, what’s the use? Their experience underscored a hard truth: without leaders reinforcing engagement daily, even the best training loses its power.
I reminded them of their higher purpose — to do what is right, lead by example, and celebrate wins with peers and leaders. But their question still lingers in my mind: engagement requires follow-through, not one-time inspiration.
Engagement Is Fun — and Urgent
Engagement isn’t a new idea. I’ve been advocating for it for over a decade. What has changed is the urgency. Leaders today are stretched thinner than ever, often asked to do more with less. Meanwhile, a new generation of workers is asking for more than just a paycheck. They want purpose, growth, and balance.
At its core, engagement is fun. It’s belonging. It’s walking into a workplace where people want to be, where leaders are building the next generation of leaders, and where associates feel like they matter. Richard Branson captured it perfectly: “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”
That’s engagement. Leaders who inspire. Associates who stay loyal. Guests who walk away with unforgettable experiences.
Leadership in Practice
So, where should leaders begin? The shift doesn’t require monumental change overnight — it starts with simple, consistent action.
Conversations: Begin every shift with one meaningful question. Tools like our Leader-to-Team discussion cards can spark conversations that deepen connection and trust.
6 Questions Every Leader Should Ask This Week
What’s one thing you’d like more clarity on this week?
What tool or resource would make your job easier right now?
What part of your job gives you the most energy?
What’s the best recognition you’ve received at work?
What part of your work makes you feel most proud?
What helps you feel most connected to your teammates?
Tip: Don’t just ask — listen. The power of these questions comes from genuine curiosity and consistent follow-up.
Pulse Surveys: Establish quarterly pulse checks to listen and respond to associates’ needs. Engagement is a dialogue, not a monologue.
Personalized Recognition: Every associate wants recognition, but not everyone wants it the same way. Take time to ask how each person prefers to be recognized — just as we personalize guest experiences, we must personalize associate experiences.
I’ll never forget one recognition moment that shaped my career. My former leader, Andre, sent me a handwritten card in the mail. It wasn’t flashy, but it was thoughtful, specific, and deeply personal. That card still hangs on my wall today. It reminds me not only of who I am, but also of the kind of leader I strive to be. That is the power of authentic recognition — it lasts.
Tie Engagement to Strategy and Metrics
Engagement isn’t a “feel-good” initiative. It’s a driver of measurable business outcomes. Engaged teams deliver higher guest satisfaction scores, reduce turnover costs, and drive revenue through repeat visits and positive reviews. Engagement can — and should — be tracked alongside operational metrics: service recovery rates, retention, productivity, and even profitability.
When leaders understand that engagement fuels performance, it stops feeling “fluffy” and starts being seen as a business imperative.
The Challenge to Leaders
The Engagement Shift is more than a program. It’s a mindset leaders must adopt if they want to grow people, elevate service, and transform culture. It asks leaders to be intentional, to balance accountability with empathy, and to remember that associates are human beings with needs inside and outside of work.
So here’s my challenge: What shift will you make today to inspire engagement in your team?
When leaders commit to this shift, teams thrive, guests delight, and organizations achieve extraordinary results.
Because when you grow people, everything gets better.
Go Forward and Inspire.
