5 Ways Engagement Does It Better

Something neat happened earlier this week. John Hawks called to ask if I'd be interested in filling in for the presenter on a Business & Legal Reports audio conference. John had Googled "employee engagement" and been directed, you guessed it, right here: to this Culture to Engage blog.

Before I returned John's call, I scoped out the website announcing and read about the audio conference he wanted me to present: Employee Incentives: 9 Proven Strategies to Engage, Energize, and Retain Your Workers in 2008. Then I called John and told him I was not the person for the job.

This audio conference was to be all about incentives: different types of incentives, how to communicate and motivate regarding incentives, "incentives mistakes" to avoid, and much more. It looked to be a truly information packed, insightful, and helpful audio conference.

I told John incentives just aren't something I have much expertise in or passion about.

But remember, I began this posting with, "Something neat happened"?

John and I got to talking. I explained differences I see between the purposes of incentives and the  intentions of employee engagement. John asked me savvy questions. Then he said he'd like me to cover the last 1/3 of the audio conference and distinguish how engagement is critical and how the CORE components of my Culture of Engagement can generate that engagement. I am honored.

So, next Wednesday, 2/20, 1:30-3:00 pm EST, I'll share the audio conference with Richard Gaeta, President of Premiere Incentives in Massachusetts. I've read Premier Incentives website and kudos, and I know participants will get abundant information about how to make employee incentives powerful tools in their companies.

And I won't, I promise, take an opposing stand. I see incentives as valuable--even necessary--ways to motivate workers to attain specific goals, to focus on performance and achievement, to exert energy and productive effort. I'm sure I'll learn even more listening to Richard.

But just for the record, here are 5+ distinctions I see between incentives and engagement:

• Distinction 1: Incentives are the bait, the lure, the attraction factor. Engagement is the action, the involvement, the movement one exhibits perhaps to achieve the incentive, perhaps not.

• Distinction 2: Incentives are part of the culture of the organization. Engagement is the intention of the culture. If the culture about employee engagement, then incentives generate an Opportunity (see CORE) for engagement.

• Distinction 3: Incentives are external what's that an employee works for. Engagement causes and results from internal why's that motivate one's work.

• Distinction 4: Incentives reward individuals for successful achievements. Engagement is rewarding to the individual while it generates success.

• Distinction 5: Incentives are meant to motivate at-the-moment performance. Engagement is meant to generate continuous performance improvement.

• Bonus Distinction: Incentives are finite, requiring refurbishment or replacement. Engagement can be ongoing, reinforcing itself.