Employee Engagement Quotes for Leaders

This article contains quotes about employee engagement. They’ve been curated to spur thought about your relationship with your employees.

So, how do you treat your employees?  Do you think it matters? 

I’ve led many teams over many years.  When I began my leadership journey, I was taught the idea that I was “renting” employee behavior.  While that sounded good because it kept me “objective” and away from the “messy emotional stuff,” I found that my relationship with my direct reports and my team results were not what they could be.

I listened to Marcus Buckingham talk about the science behind the leadership work he did with the Gallup organization.  In the last several years, I’ve read several of Simon Sinek’s books.  These two leaders inspired me to continue challenging my thinking.

Throughout this time, I began to measure employee engagement.  My engagement scores improved over time as I focused on more empowering strategies and tactics to build capabilities and create a more engaging team culture.

In this article, you’ll find a series of employee engagement quotes from well-known leaders that are curated to challenge your thinking about how you engage your employees.  As you read each quote, assess how true you believe it is.  Ask yourself how relevant the idea communicated in the quote is.  Finally, if you assume the quote is valid, how well do your behaviors measure up to these standards?

How do you prioritize your relationship with employees?

“Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”  – Richard Branson, Founder of The Virgin Group

“Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.”–  Stephen R. Covey, Author & Businessman

 “Everyone talks about building a relationship with your customer. I think you build one with your employees first.” – Angela Ahrendts, Former Senior Vice President of Apple

“Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.” – Anne M. Mulcahy, Former CEO of Xerox

“The responsibility of a company is to serve the customer. The responsibility of leadership is to serve their people so that their people may better serve the customer. If leaders fail to serve their people first, both customer and company will suffer.” – Simon Sinek, Author, Motivational Speaker, and Consultant

 “Employees are a company’s greatest asset – they’re your competitive advantage. You want to attract and retain the best; provide them with encouragement, stimulus, and make them feel that they are an integral part of the company’s mission.” – Anne M. Mulcahy, Former CEO of Xerox

“If you are lucky enough to be someone’s employer, then you have a moral obligation to make sure people do look forward to coming to work in the morning.” – John Mackey, Whole Foods

Why engage your employees?

“Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives.” – Daniel H. Pink, Author

“Employees who report receiving recognition and praise within the last seven days show increased productivity, get higher scores from customers, and have better safety records. They’re just more engaged at work.” – Tom Rath, Author, and Employee Engagement Consultant

“People leave when they don’t feel appreciated. That’s why we’ve made recognition a really high value. Our business is people-capability first; then you satisfy customers; then you make money.” – David Novak, Former CEO of YUM! Brands

“Treating employees benevolently shouldn’t be viewed as an added cost that cuts into profits, but as a powerful energizer that can grow the enterprise into something far greater than one leader could envision.” – Harold Schultz – Founder and Former CEO of Starbucks

“Talent is the multiplier. The more energy and attention you invest in it, the greater the yield.” – Marcus Buckingham, Author, and Business Consultant

“Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, What’s in it for me?” – Brian Tracy, Motivational Speaker

“Research indicates that workers have three prime needs: Interesting work, recognition for doing a good job, and being let in on things that are going on in the company.” – Zig Ziglar, Author

Do you express your appreciation? 

“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.”  – Max DePree, Former CEO of Herman Miller

“Nothing is more effective than sincere, accurate praise, and nothing is more lame than a cookie-cutter compliment.” – Bill Walsh, American football coach

“Especially when you’re at a high level in an organization, criticism can be devastating to an employee. I prefer to praise employees for what they’re doing right, and it tends to lead to them doing more of the same. Not always, but it’s the way I choose to bet.” – Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” – G.K. Chesterton, Writer

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” – Voltaire, Writer

“The simple but transformative act of a leader, expressing appreciation to a person in a meaningful and memorable way is the missing accelerator that can do so much and yet is used sparingly”  – Chester Elston, Author, and Consultant

Related Article: 20 Quotes About Employee Engagement

“I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among my people the greatest asset I possess, and the way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement. There is nothing else that so kills the ambitions of a person as criticism from superiors. I never criticize anyone. I believe in giving a person incentive to work. So I am anxious to praise but loath to find fault. If I like anything, I am hearty in my appreciation and lavish in my praise.” – Charles Schwab, Industrialist

“Feeling gratitude, and not expressing it, is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward, Inspirational Author

 “Praise does wonders for our sense of hearing.” – Arnold H. Glasow, Businessman

“Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.” – Fred De Witt Van Amburgh, Author

“Correction does much, but encouragement does more.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Writer and Statesman

 “Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free and worth a fortune.” – Sam Walton, Founder of Walmart

Who do you ask for feedback at work?

“Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” – Ken Blanchard, American writer

“The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.” – Henry David Thoreau, American writer

Well?  How did you do?  I’m still working on being consistent when engaging my teammates each day.  It’s a challenge but reviewing these bite-sized bits of wisdom help me dial in.  I review many of these employee engagement quotes as part of my morning routine.

If you’re looking for more science behind employee engagement, I recommend that you read books by Tom Rath, Chester Elston, Markus Buckingham, Daniel Pink, and Simon Sinek.  Click their name to see the book on Amazon.

Which quote was most meaningful to you?  Leave a comment.

Make it a great day!