Leaders Shape How People Feel About Their Work 👥

Joy in life is deeply connected to joy in work — and leaders play an important role in helping people find it. Passion isn’t just about loving what you do. It’s about creating the conditions where work supports life rather than competes with it. That balance should be important to leaders.

Years ago, I attended an event where Jim Clifton, CEO of Gallup, spoke about engagement. The numbers he shared then are almost identical to the numbers Gallup reports today. Engagement hasn’t changed much — and that’s the problem.

Gallup tracks worker engagement using strict categories. In the U.S., 31% of workers are engaged, while 17% are actively disengaged. The remaining 52% sit in the middle — “not engaged.” They show up, but they lack passion. Globally, engagement is even lower, averaging only 20%.

These numbers matter because engaged employees are generally happier employees. They’re the ones who love their work, are engaged, act as role models, and stay the  longest. They know your company, your products, your customers, and they feel invested in your success. Passion and engagement are inseparable.

But here’s the part leaders often overlook: loving your work strongly supports a fulfilling personal life. When people enjoy their career, positive emotions spill over into their off‑hours. They carry higher energy levels, a happier mindset, better physical health, and stronger personal and professional relationships. Joy at work becomes joy in life. 

That’s why leaders must help employees get into the right mindset to achieve a healthy work‑life balance.

Talk to them about setting goals — clarity around what they’re striving for and how success will be measured.

Talk to them about setting boundaries — alignment around what is and is not expected.

Then talk to them regularly about how they’re doing — not once a year, but continuously.

And as the workforce continues to get younger, this becomes even more important. Work‑life balance is high on Gen Z’s radar. Leaders who connect with this generation apply emotional intelligence, communication, and coaching skills with intention. They understand that passion grows where people feel supported, not stretched thin.

If you want employees who love their work, look for leaders who love theirs — and watch how they make their people feel the same today.

Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274): Italian Dominican friar and priest, theologian, and philosopher. He is considered one of the most influential thinkers in the history of Catholic theology and Western philosophy.

People Do Good Things Every Day — Leaders Need to Notice 👀

Passion becomes real the moment you decide to make a positive impact — not someday, not when conditions are perfect, but today, in whatever small way you can. Meaningful work isn’t defined by size. It’s defined by intention.

People do positive things all the time. The problem is that very few people notice, and even fewer say something about it. That was part of last week’s story about the Golden Nugget’s Housekeeping attendants — but here’s the rest of it.

When we discovered that GRAs loved their jobs but not the way they were treated, we dug deeper. What we found was simple and painful: nobody ever mentioned the good things they did each day. Not once. Not ever. They were invisible in all the ways that mattered.

·      So, our Employee Services team created the “Gotcha” program.

·      Supervisors were instructed to note everything — the good and the not‑so‑good.

·      When performance slipped, employees received coaching and a counseling notice.

·      But when they did something right — from showing up on time to delivering extraordinary service — they earned Gotcha points.

·      Those points could be collected and redeemed for logo items, prizes, even days off with pay.

Doing both showed fairness. And because employees did far more good things than bad, the points accumulated quickly. That motivated them to do even more good things. Eventually, we implemented this program in every department. And got a reputation for catching employees doing things right. set a policy goal: throughout their department, managers had to give out three Gotcha awards for every coaching notice. We tracked the ratios. We reported them. Departments competed. Managers competed. And positivity became contagious.

The idea wasn’t original. Growing up, retailers handed out S&H Green Stamps[1] as incentives. I remember going with my mother to the redemption center, picking out items we earned through everyday purchases. I loved that idea — and I loved modeling our program after it.

And it worked.

The year before The Mirage opened, GRA turnover at the Golden Nugget averaged 300%. The year after it opened, turnover dropped to 18%. A year later, it was 8%. 

Same job. Different approach.

It matters when someone does something positive. It matters even more when someone notices — and makes a big deal out of it — today.

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 1950): English business magnate who co-founded the Virgin Group in 1970, and, as of 2016, controls five companies.

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[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%26H_Green_Stamps : During the 1960s, the company issued more stamps than the U.S. Postal Service and distributed 35 million catalogs a year.^[1] Customers received stamps at the checkout counters of supermarkets, department stores, and gasoline stations among other retailers, which could then be redeemed for products from the catalog.^[2]

Passion Is a Choice 🎯… Not a Coin Toss 🎲

Passion isn’t an accident. It’s a decision — a conscious choice to pursue the kind of work that makes you come alive. And that decision starts long before someone accepts a job. It starts with understanding what you really want to be, and whether the place you’re considering will help you become it.

I recently watched Steve Wynn talk about hiring on Instagram. Like most gamblers — and poker players — he sizes people up quickly. But what struck me wasn’t his instinct. It was his advice. He encourages candidates to ask enough questions about the company, its mission, its objectives, its management style (his and the organization’s), and its culture. He wants them to feel good about what they’re getting into. He doesn’t want them to have buyer’s remorse. It’s too disruptive when either side makes a mistake.

He’s right. Most hiring managers spend too much time talking and not nearly enough time listening. Much of what they need to know is already on the résumé. A few clarifying questions will tell you the rest. But the odds of a candidate being successful — and passionate — increase dramatically when they get all their questions answered.

So, flip the script:

·       Let candidates know, in the job posting or when scheduling the interview, that you expect them to interview you.

·       Know what you want them to understand about your company, your expectations, and your culture — and make sure your answers paint the full picture.

·       If they leave out a question you think matters, suggest it. That gives them more information than they expected, reveals their critical thinking skills, and ensures both sides have what they need to make a good decision.

Sometimes those two decisions match. When they do, you hire people who will be happy, committed, and passionate about their work — your future superstars.

Other times, the decisions don’t match. That’s when you should tell them, honestly and without hesitation, that if they don’t love something, they shouldn’t do it. Talk about alternatives. Be a career coach. Help them find the right fit, even if it isn’t with you.

Both paths end the interview on a positive note. One launches a passionate career. The other builds good karma.

That’s how you make win‑win hiring decisions today — by helping people choose work they can love, and by choosing people who will love the work you offer today.

Ray Bradbury (1920 – 2012): American author and screenwriter in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and realistic fiction.

Stop Wandering. Start Choosing. 🚀🗺️

Most careers drift not because people lack talent, but because they never decide where they’re actually trying to go. At some point, you’re responsible for deciding who and what you want to be.

Life’s small decisions are easy — dinner plans, weekend choices, the daily navigation of a busy existence. But the big decisions require attention, reflection, planning, and commitment. The stakes are enormous.

Baby Boomers and Gen Xers were guided through those choices by parents, teachers, counselors, and influential family friends. College was the dream our parents had for us because they missed out. Career choices mattered.

My own direction came from growing up in the 60s and 70s — the music, a young priest at the church where I volunteered as a Head Start teacher, and a family friend who showed me what a “personnel manager” actually did. That’s when I realized I wanted to help others.

Today the world feels more complicated and less certain. Where my generation wanted to work hard and make a difference, many young people worry there aren’t many differences left to be made. That’s where leaders have a role to play:

• When interviewing, zero in on what candidates are really looking for. Give straight answers about the job, and don’t hesitate to offer career advice they can use immediately.

• When supervising, listen to their questions, give real‑time feedback, coach them toward what they truly want, and mentor them in the parts of the work you love most.

• As a leader, be visible and accessible. Share the choices you made and help them discover the things that excite them.

Work isn’t just about job descriptions. Those describe tasks — not the meaning behind them. During onboarding and skills training, get engaged with your employees. Learn their preferences, coach them toward what they need, and tell them why you love what you do.

These are the little things that help people discover the big things about their life and work today. 

 

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832 – 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass (1871), poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglican deacon.

People stay where they feel valued. 🔥 They leave where they don’t.

Engagement dies the moment appreciation becomes optional. Make appreiation a mindset with a purpose.

While opening The Mirage, I spent time in Housekeeping studying what motivated guest room attendants (GRAs). They cleaned an average of 14 rooms per shift. Studies showed they liked their job. Yet turnover was a dizzying 300%.

The Executive Housekeeper said, “It’s a very difficult job.” True — but that wasn’t the reason they left. I asked 100 GRAs who had recently resigned why they left a job they said they liked. Every single one said the same thing:

“There was no recognition for the good work we did — only the bad.”

So, we retrained supervisors to do two things:

• When performance slipped, treat it as a coaching opportunity, not a reprimand.

• When something was done right — up to standard or beyond — give a “gotcha” award. These shoutouts earned points redeemable for prizes or time off.

Within a year, turnover dropped to manageable levels. Why? Because they liked their job — and they liked the way they were treated. Fairly. By supervisors who stopped keeping their appreciation a secret.

Employees at every level need positive feedback, two‑way communication, and supervisors who are present, observant, and genuinely interested. In real time. Your interest in your employees is reflected in their interest in their work, their customers, and their co‑workers. That’s engagement in action.

If you want happy and engaged employees, tell them how much you appreciate them today.

 

Mary Kay Ash (1918 – 2001): American businesswoman and founder of direct sales company Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc. At the time of her death, she had a fortune of $98 million, and her company had more than $1.2 billion in sales with a sales force of more than 800,000 in at least three dozen countries.^[1][2]

Growth 📈 is the ROI 🚀 of Engagement 🔄

No one ever grew by staying safe, silent, or on the sidelines. The proven truth is simple: growth is the ROI of engagement.

Leaders consistently tell us that their future success depends on developing people who understand — and enthusiastically buy into — the company’s mission, values, processes, products, customers, and culture. In recruitment terms, that level of experience is priceless. It’s the ultimate audition: you get to see them, and they get to see you.

These are the people you want to retain. And the top strategy for doing that is continuous feedback paired with progressive levels of engagement. According to Gallup, 80% of employees who received meaningful feedback in the past week are fully engaged, compared to the national average of just 32%. A culture of clear, consistent feedback isn’t a perk — it’s a performance strategy.

Organizations often use targeted programs to help unengaged employees become engaged contributors. Effective drivers include:

• Purpose: Helping employees understand how their daily work connects to the company’s broader mission.

• Two‑way communication: Creating channels where employee feedback is heard and acted upon.

• Coaching & growth: Providing mentorship, focusing on strengths, and mapping out clear career paths.

• Recognition: Celebrating milestones and high‑quality work so employees feel valued.

Leaders must model the very thing they want from their people: two‑way communication, growth through coaching, and continuous feedback. The operative word is engagement — because a leader’s engagement is the single biggest predictor of an employee’s engagement.

If you’re not doing that, step out of your comfort zone and start building growth strategies designed around engagement today.

Mary Tyler Moore (1936 – 2017): American actress, producer, and social advocate. Her roles helped define a new vision of American womanhood and appealed to an audience facing the new trials of modern-day existence.

Engagement Grows Where Leaders Let People Lead 🌱

If you want commitment, stop hoarding control. When people are involved in discussions and decision‑making, they do more and care more — because it becomes their business, not just the company’s.

Hock built Visa as a decentralized, member‑owned cooperative with a highly participative management style. When we opened The Mirage, unit heads had the responsibility and authority to develop and run their divisions. They were prepared — technically and emotionally — to shoulder accountability. People go all in on what they helped create.

Structures like these expect leaders to set a vision, understand how things run individually and collectively, and coach their people to be their best.

Leaders who believe two heads are better than one naturally bring people together at a strategic level — collectivizing strengths, reducing silos, and building real teams.

At the top of this kind of hierarchy is a leader whose engaging style becomes the model for everyone else. Not overbearing. Not micromanaging. Focused on objectives. Bobby Baldwin, President of Mirage Resorts, once sat with Bellagio’s designers and engineers and disassembled, studied, and reassembled a super‑shooter from that Casino’s famous fountains. His curiosity motivated their curiosity — and led to a more effective approach to maintenance.

Don’t think size determines whether an organization can build a culture of engagement. Big or small, every company and every unit benefits from people who feel ownership in what they help create today.

Dee Hock (1929 – 2022): Founder and CEO of the Visa credit card association. He walked away from fame and fortune in 1984 to live a quiet life as a rancher, student, and philosopher.