Is Your Leadership Benefiting Your Profitability?

Saturday, 13. June 2009 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.

“Feedback is the breakfast of champions…”

Over ten years ago, the Gallup Organization created a research-based feedback process which leaders could use to measure and assess the “engagement” of those they lead. Gallup wanted to produce a tool which was also powerfully linked to bottom-line business outcomes – including sales growth, productivity, customer loyalty, and profitability.

To identify the key elements that drive worker engagement, Gallup conducted thousands of focus groups and interviews, in all types of organizations. From this data, Gallup pinpointed (out of hundreds of possible variables) 12 key employee expectations that, when satisfied, create a strong foundation for feelings of “engagement” between an employee and their leader/organization.

** Research showed that organizations with high "Q12 scores" (or engagement scores) experience lower turnover, higher sales growth, better productivity, better customer loyalty or other manifestations of superior performance. Each question is answered on a scale from 1-5.

The 12 Elements of Great Managing

1. I know what is expected of me at work.


2. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.


3. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.


4. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.


5. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.


6. There is someone at work who encourages my development.


7. At work, my opinions seem to count.


8. The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.


9. My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.


10. I have a best friend at work.


11. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.


12. This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.

These 12 statements apply to various settings, whether in an organization, athletic team, church congregation, volunteer team…

Challenge: Have those you lead rate the 12 statements on a scale of 1-5, then start making changes to bring a few of the lower scored ratings to a “5”.