Employee engagement is more than just a metric—it’s the heart of organizational success. While traditional methods to improve engagement often focus on immediate fixes or surface-level improvements, a deeper, more purposeful approach can create a longer-lasting impact. Introducing the “Me, We, World” approach: a three-tiered strategy designed to foster genuine engagement by aligning personal purpose with team dynamics and organizational vision.

Understanding the Data Behind Engagement Metrics

Before investing in engagement initiatives, it’s crucial to understand what drives the results. Whether using Gallup surveys, Great Place to Work evaluations, or custom methodologies, it’s easy to get sidetracked by superficial measures. For instance, a common reaction to low engagement scores might be to implement leadership training on employee care. While beneficial, such training often overlooks the root causes of disengagement, which lie deeper in mindset and motivation.

The “Me, We, World” Approach

Our approach delves into the core drivers of engagement through three interconnected levels: Me, We, and World. This model not only addresses individual needs but also enhances team cohesion and aligns with broader organizational goals.

1. Me: Individual Purpose Unlocks Potential

The first tier focuses on personal purpose and engagement. Research consistently shows that employees who find personal meaning in their work are significantly more engaged and less likely to leave. Articles from HBR, the Journal of Applied Psychology, and research from Gallup and Great Place to Work clearly support this, indicating that purpose improves retention by 2.7x.

To tap into this meaning, we utilize:

• • Individual Purpose Discovery: Guided self-reflection helps individuals uncover their passions, desired impact, and create a plan for action. This process involves deep exploration of past experiences, current aspirations, and future goals, significantly increasing self-awareness and, thus, the capacity and potential for change.
  • Time and Energy Self-Assessment: Tools like the GC Index assess our Energy for Impact, helping individuals understand how their time and energy can better align with their purpose and their role. This insight allows for actionable adjustments to maximize impact that is meaningful to them and valuable to their team and company. At both the individual and team levels, energy alignment has consistently been demonstrated as a driver of engagement and high performance (1).
  • Purpose Activation: With a clear purpose in mind, employees can build support systems, seek feedback, and set priorities. This step ensures that purpose is not just theoretical but actively pursued. The first step: they share their purpose!

2. We: Team Purpose Builds Cohesion & Performance

The second tier focuses on optimizing team performance by aligning individual contributions with collective goals:

• • Aligning Team Strengths with Company Principles: Teams are encouraged to identify and leverage their unique strengths in line with organizational principles. This alignment enhances overall performance and accelerates progress toward goals.
  • Adapting Individual Contributions: Using insights from the GC Index, teams can identify how their proclivities complement one another, reducing tension and avoiding gaps. This leads to improved collaboration and reduces potential conflicts.
  • Articulating Team Commitments: Based on their aggregate strengths and natural ways of working, teams define specific actions and commitments that improve and sustain high performance, ensuring that each member’s contributions are valued and effectively utilized.

3. World: Organizational Purpose Embraces Stakeholders

The final tier (although delivered in a Me, World, We order) connects individual and team engagement to the broader organizational context:

• • • Company Purpose, Vision, and Values: Evaluating and, if necessary, refreshing the company’s purpose and vision helps ensure that organizational goals resonate with employees. This involves a combination of Leadership Team input along with Employee Team input. The data captured from both outlines the extent of alignment and potential need for change.
    • Core Principles and Pursuits: Clarifying core behaviors for each person’s role and the ambitions they are contributing towards helps teams understand how their work drives long-term success.
    • Priority Objectives: Breaking down 12-month objectives into short-term priorities (90 days) aligns daily efforts with longer-term strategic goals, ensuring that everyone is working towards a common vision.

Why This Approach Works

Unlike conventional methods that often focus on quick fixes to observable problems, the “Me, We, World” approach integrates personal purpose with team dynamics and organizational vision. In doing so, it gets to the root causes of engagement enablers and inhibitors—human development needs. As such, this holistic model:

• Fosters Intrinsic Motivation: By addressing individual needs and aligning them with team and organizational goals, employees are more motivated and engaged.
• Enhances Team Cohesion: Understanding each team member’s strengths and how they contribute to team objectives fosters a supportive and high-performing environment.
• Aligns Organizational Goals: Ensuring that every individual and team effort contributes to the company’s broader purpose maximizes impact and drives achievement.

Research supports the effectiveness of this approach. Studies indicate that employees who find personal meaning in their work and are aligned with organizational goals are more likely to be engaged, perform at their best, and be retained longer.

In conclusion, the “Me, We, World” approach is a unique yet comprehensive strategy for enhancing employee engagement by addressing fundamental drivers of motivation and aligning them with organizational objectives. It goes beyond traditional methods by focusing on genuine connection, purpose, and growth, ensuring a more sustainable and impactful engagement journey.

For those interested in exploring this innovative approach further, feel free to reach out and start transforming your employee engagement journey today.

1 – “Energy and Engagement: How Personal Energy Drives Employee Performance (Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2017) – “The Role of Energy Management in Employee Engagement”** (Academy of Management Perspectives, 2019)