Engagement is great stuff. No two people agree on a
precise definition of engagement, even though everybody agrees that it creates
all kinds of good things.

That’s OK, though, because they can give it the Potter Stewart test. “Don’t
worry,” they tell you, “I know it when I see it.”

That’s almost right. You can tell if a group of workers are engaged. But
don’t look for engagement, listen for it.

Listen for the laughter. An engaged team is at ease. Team
members enjoy each other and they enjoy what they’re doing. So they laugh. You
can hear it.

Listen to the stories. When a team is engaged, they tell
each other and others certain kinds of stories. They’re stories about overcoming
obstacles, stories about heroic achievements, and about doing good things.

Boss’s Bottom Line

When you hear your team members laughing and telling positive stories about
work and each other, you’ll know they’re engaged, without the need for
sophisticated surveys or expensive consultants.