Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World

by Marcus Buckingham

the experience of the people on our teams and in our organizations is a true thing, and we don’t simply get to choose what it is.

For Dr. King, leading meant defining, vividly, the goal, and then taking advantage of any opportunity to press toward that goal.

It focused on imagined change, not on predictable execution.

We follow a leader because he is deep in something, and he knows what that something is.

Leading and following are not abstractions. They are human interactions; human relationships. And their currency is the currency of all human relationships—the currency of emotional bonds, of trust, and of love. If you, as a leader, forget these things, and yet master everything that theory world tells you matters, you will find yourself alone. But if you understand who you are, at your core, and hone that understanding into a few special abilities, each of which refracts and magnifies your intent, your essence, and your humanity, then, in the real world, we will see you. And we will follow.

Which are the most and least engaged countries in the world? In 2018 we surveyed an additional six countries to those surveyed in 2015: Egypt, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE has the highest percentage of Fully Engaged workers, at 26 percent, while China has the lowest percentage of Fully Engaged workers, at 6 percent.

All eight engagement items are scored more highly on the highest-performing teams, and there is strong evidence (in our studies and others’) that higher engagement causes higher performance.