by telling me that I’d blown it (although the initial “look” suggested I probably had!). She smiled and suggested we take a walk to the mirror. Looking at myself in the mirror involved me. Then she asked “What do you think?” She wasn’t frowning, her eyes weren’t rolling. She asked me a question, and I felt free to be open about my reactions. When I said that the pants looked really bad on me, she didn’t have an “I told you so” expression on her face. If I’d told her that the pants looked great, no doubt she would have weighed in with her opinion, which is fine. Engagement isn’t about pretending or hiding our true thoughts.

Finally, when I saw how lousy the pants looked, it was up to me to take action. Engagement includes giving people the space to come to their own conclusions, and being responsible for those conclusions. So I decided, without prodding, that it was time to get the pants altered.

Engagement usually works when these factors are in place. People who are appropriately engaged feel free to think and decide, they like being empowered and not overly directed, they appreciate the implicit respect that comes from engagement. In addition, being responsible for their decisions and actions helps ensure that people take the experience seriously.

Engagement in the workplace, genuine engagement, requires employee involvement, an open, honest dialogue, and assurance that