Satisfaction is Good, Engagement is Great

I was at my youngest son’s high school baseball game last night, and my wife and I chose to sit in seats that were somewhat away from the other parents on the team. We chose the spot not to be antisocial, but so that we could have a fuller view of the entire field – we hate obstructed-view seats!

After we’d been there for a while one of the other dads came over and sat down next to me and said, “Man, I wish I’d waited until you guys got here ‘cause I got my chair in the wrong place, and I don’t wanna be rude and move now. They’re all over there talking non-stop, and none of it’s about baseball; not even this game.”

It got me thinking about the difference between satisfaction and engagement (Yeah, I know. I can’t help it.)

You see those folks sitting over there talking were very happy to be at the game and socialize – and maybe even miss a play, hit, or pitch. That’s satisfaction.

For my wife (Chaney) and I, and that other dad, we’re happy to be there, and we’re willing to socialize between innings, but we don’t want to miss any of the action on the field. We’re not only there because our kids are playing; we’re also real baseball fans. That’s engagement.

Satisfaction is great and it’s a nice goal for companies to reach for – it means they care about their employees. But engagement is a difference maker. With engagement they’re not only satisfied, they’re giving that extra effort that turns into positive results on the bottom line for their organization.

Employee engagement is all about how the employee feels about the employer, and specifically the extra effort they’re willing to give.

That’s how you determine engagement – with that extra effort – not satisfaction, and that’s why companies with a higher level of engagement outperform those with lower engagement (or worse, disengagement).

The key with engagement is the reciprocal relationship between the two: What extra effort is the employer willing to give in return? If employees don’t have that connection with the employer, there’s virtually no chance for engagement.

That’s where managers come in.

Managers at all levels play a very important role in the engagement equation because they are the ones with whom employees (direct reports) have the most contact – to many employees their manager IS the company.

Good managers are in tune with their people and know how to motivate each of them individually. If they’re effective, that can lead to engagement and the extra effort that comes with it. The payback for managers is better personnel development, better unit performance and better company performance – it’s a can’t lose proposition.

It’s good to have satisfied employees. It’s great to have engaged employees.

If you want to improve yourself as a manager, ask yourself this question: Are my people there to socialize, or are they there to watch the game?