By Rachel McCann – September 2025
The biggest driver of employee engagement isn’t salary, perks, or even flexible work. It’s whether leaders are present, authentic, and connected.
“Even if they don’t know my name, when a leader says hello in the hallway or acknowledges my work, it makes me feel connected and valued as part of the team.”
That’s what my daughter—a young professional at a national organization—told me when I asked what most influences her job satisfaction. Not her paycheck. Not her title. Not perks. A simple act of recognition from her leaders.
Her answer might sound simple, but it echoes what I hear everywhere I go—whether I’m speaking with frontline employees, middle managers, or senior executives: people thrive when they feel seen, valued, and respected by their leaders.
And here’s what makes her experience so powerful: her company is in the middle of a reorganization. Reporting lines have shifted, workloads have increased, and uncertainty is high. By most measures, she could be frustrated or disengaged. Instead, she’s thriving—because her leaders take the time to acknowledge her contributions, check in regularly, and create opportunities for her to grow.
This isn’t just her story—it’s the story of every healthy culture I encounter. Change itself doesn’t drive people away. The real difference is how leaders show up during change.
That’s really the heart of my work as a cultural analysis consultant—which, in practice, simply means I ask the kinds of questions that get underneath the surface:
- What’s really shaping how people feel at work?
- What makes them engaged—or checked out?
- Why does the same change feel inspiring in one company and unsettling in another?
So let me turn that same question to you:
What do you think makes people happiest at work?
Their compensation? Their career path? Their flexible schedule?
Those things matter, of course. But again and again I see the same pattern: what makes or breaks engagement is trust in leadership. And trust isn’t built in grand gestures—it’s built in the everyday moments. A check-in. A “thank you.” An invitation to weigh in.
We see this with our clients all the time. Almost every organization is navigating some kind of turbulence—new leaders at the top, shifting policies, reporting changes, market pressures, or spending freezes.
From the outside, two companies may look like they’re facing the same challenge. Inside, one team is thriving while another is struggling. The difference isn’t the change itself—it’s the leadership.
The challenge is that many managers today are struggling to stay engaged—and when leaders lose that connection, their teams do too.
In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Gallup’s chief workplace scientist Jim Harter explained:
“It’s also about becoming more detached from regular mentorship. The recent years’ disruptions have probably compromised their opportunities to get developmental support to become better managers.”
He adds:
“If you want to improve engagement of managers, training needs to focus on helping them form habits such as keeping in regular touch with the people they manage and asking them questions like, ‘What kind of challenges are you facing in your job?’”
These kinds of regular conversations give leaders a clear picture of what’s happening on the ground. They help managers spot obstacles early, offer support, and show appreciation. And that ripple effect directly impacts team engagement.
Of course, many factors influence what makes a “good” manager:
- How they handle conflict
- Their communication style
- Whether they rescue, persecute, or empower their team
- Their ability to give and receive healthy feedback
But global surveys point to one trait above all: employees want leaders who genuinely care and inspire them.
That trait—leaders who care and inspire—doesn’t just feel good. It drives three critical outcomes for organizations:
- Engaged leaders attract and retain talent
McKinsey research shows that “uncaring and uninspiring leaders” are the third most common reason employees leave a company—just behind limited career growth and inadequate pay. Inspiring leaders flip the script: they care about work-life balance, they see their teams as people rather than just employees, and they encourage both career and personal growth.
- Engaged employees are more productive
Happy employees consistently tell me they feel their contributions matter—because they hear it from leadership.
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- When they’re asked for input, they feel valued.
- When they’re recognized for a job well done, they feel appreciated.
- When they make a mistake, they’re coached instead of punished.
These small but consistent actions nurture strong followership. People work harder for leaders they respect and who respect them. The payoff? Motivation, innovation, and a commitment to excellent customer experience.
- Happy employees are more resilient
The past five years have been full of global disruptions, economic instability, and constant change. Yet time and again, I’ve seen this: employees who trust their leaders rise to the challenge.
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- They stay engaged when budgets are cut but expectations rise.
- They steady themselves through acquisitions and leadership changes.
- They weather uncertainty when long-standing policies shift without warning.
Resilience doesn’t come from circumstances—it comes from trust in leadership.
Where to Begin
So how do you cultivate leaders who inspire this kind of loyalty and resilience?
At Stop At Nothing, we believe leadership development has to start inside-out. The first step toward building trust and engagement in your team is investing in your own personal growth.
That’s the foundation of our High Impact Leadership Series (HILS). Through HILS, leaders explore vulnerability, face their fears, and see how their life experiences shape the way they show up at work.
I’ve experienced this myself. In HILS, I learned to identify which patterns were holding me back and how to leverage my strengths to lead from a place of balance. And while that journey is deeply personal, one theme comes up again and again from participants: gratitude. They’re grateful that their organizations invested in their growth as people, not just as performers.
That’s authentic leadership. And it’s the kind of leadership that creates happy, engaged employees.
