The bottom line is that people buy from people, not companies. So, your people - and the performance they deliver - are the defining competitive advantage for your organization. (45)

When people are engaged in their work and feel a deep connection to it, they deliver Passionate Performance. (46)

They invest time, energy and resources to engage their people because engaged employees are more likely to: stay with the organization; perform at higher levels; influence others to perform well; promote the organization externally; and deliver unparalleled customer service. (55)

Passionate Performance cannot be easily duplicated by your competition and creates a rock-solid wall of differentiation between you and the rest of the pack. (63)

Passionate Performance is achieved when employees are fully engaged - when they demonstrate a strong, sustained intellectual and emotional attachment to their work. (74)

Look for signs of the big payoff from Passionate Performance: discretionary effort- people choosing to do more for you. You’ll know your employees are giving discretionary effort when they: choose to work late to complete a project; ask how they can better serve another team member or department; inquire about how their actions affect another function or the customer; make a connection between their decisions and the company’s financial results; treat company resources like their own; initiate improvements in work methods; look beyond their own roles for improvement opportunities; and pursue self-development on their own time. (85)

74% of employees are either indifferent to their work or actively disengaged. (105)

Disengagement is simply the result of unfulfilled needs. (121)

When my needs are fulfilled, I am engaged and I perform at my peak ability. (132)

Therefore, achieving Passionate Performance is a two-sided challenge: intellectual and emotional. Successful leaders engage both the minds and hearts of their people. (142)

Engaged minds build your employees’ performance and engaged hearts build their passion. (144)

The mind represents the intellectual aspects of people that are based on reason, logic, and cause and effect. It requires the science of leadership which is the focus of most leadership training and education. Engaging the mind builds employee performance. (163)

It’s no surprise that, as leaders, we can also sometimes forget the basics. The basics of our “sport” involve meeting employees’ three intellectual needs: 1. Achievement 2. Autonomy 3. Mastery (172)

We all have a need to achieve. At one level or another, everyone wants to succeed at something. (182)

An unfulfilled need for achievement leads to frustration, disappointment and a decreased sense of self-worth. (183)

You can use two simple strategies to help fulfill your employees’ need for achievement: eliminate barriers and define crystal clear goals. (185)

Eliminating barriers to achievement is one of the most powerful ways to engage your team. (186)

Some common barriers to employee achievement that leaders can control include: insufficient materials, equipment or tools; lack of authority to accomplish goals; slow or unclear decision-making processes; and undefined goals. (190)

Be a resource provider. Ensure your employees have the necessary materials, equipment and resources to achieve their goals. (196)

Match authority to responsibility. Give employees the authority they need to achieve the results for which you will hold them accountable. (198)

Be decisive. Use the best available information and your intuition to provide definite and timely decisions for employees. (200)

define crystal clear goals and then keep employees focused on those goals. (203)

Clear goals make it easier for employees to achieve because they can better prioritize their time and energy to focus on things that are important to your team’s success. (212)

While achievement focuses on the outcome of your employees’ work, autonomy focuses on the process of getting work done. (229)

The first strategy to fulfill this need is to involve your employees in defining and improving their work processes. (232)

People support what they help create. When employees support the process, they are much more likely to give discretionary effort. (235)

The second key strategy to fulfilling the need for autonomy is to set clear boundaries. (244)

Determine the appropriate boundaries for your team. Your organizational values can give you a hint as to what these boundaries should be (e.g., teamwork, innovation, mutual respect, customer focus, open communication, fact-based decision making, etc.). These boundaries will help you define the playing field within which employees can use their skills and creativity to get work done. (248)

One of the strongest intellectual drives people have is to do something well - to master something. We are born with this need. Consider a baby who is learning to walk. Despite countless trips, stumbles, bumps and bruises, a baby’s need to master the skill of walking remains strong until s/he can do it effortlessly. (271)

Finding a good fit between an employee’s natural abilities and interests and the requirements of the job is crucial to meeting the mastery need. (279)

Combine tasks that require similar skill levels so you can more easily match the person’s skills to the position’s requirements. Automate repetitive tasks. Remember, you’re trying to engage, not disengage, employees’ minds. Streamline inefficient processes and eliminate redundant tasks that prevent employees from building mastery in the critical parts of their jobs. Outsource tasks that require significant effort but have little impact on the organization. (292)

Learning is the second strategy for meeting the mastery need. When you invest in a mind, you engage it. (299)

The most important source of learning for your employees is YOU! An engaging leader is a coach. (308)

The heart represents the emotional side of people that is based on connections. This side requires the art of leadership that focuses on relationships. Engaging the heart creates passion. (333)

If you’re going to engage your employees’ hearts, you must first meet their basic emotional needs: 1. Purpose 2. Intimacy 3. Appreciation (341)

All of us are in search of a clear and driving purpose for our lives; we want to contribute to something bigger than ourselves. The workplace offers a great opportunity for people to connect with a purpose. (351)

A purpose is your team’s bridge to a brighter tomorrow...and you have to build it! (358)

Your employees’ time and energy are precious resources - if they’re spent on one task, they cannot be spent on another. (393)

Intimacy makes people feel connected. It’s a basic human emotional need to belong, to not be alone. At work, a need for intimacy means feeling like part of a team and being connected to those around us. (404)

Your team should be the focal point for developing these connections, and there are two strategies you can use to accomplish this: maintain smallness and create rituals. (407)

When employees form close connections with one another, they become passionate about their work. They go above and beyond for each other and for the team. (420)

The second strategy for meeting the intimacy need is to create rituals. Engaging leaders do what other leaders might consider to be corny. These leaders make it a priority to establish rituals and “traditions” that connect employees to each other and to the customer. The purpose is to foster intimacy, belonging and fun. (431)

In other words, leaders generally believe they are much more appreciative of their employees than their employees think they are. (452)

Engaging leaders utilize two strategies to fulfill the need for appreciation: 1. Appreciate contributions 2. Appreciate the person (456)

The engaging leader also knows that appreciating the person is just as important as appreciating contributions. A study of over 20,000 leaders found that the most effective ones had one thing in common: They expressed a sincere interest in, and appreciation for, their employees as people. (484)

Learn something new each day about one of your employees. Ask about family, hobbies, leisure activities, etc. You will begin to understand and appreciate them more fully. (487)

The bottom line is this: We do more for those who appreciate us. Appreciate your employees and you will engage their hearts! (490)

Meeting your employees’ needs and engaging them is a long-term process, and there are no shortcuts. You need to mentally prepare for a marathon versus a sprint. (510)