How well does your organization engage employees? Research demonstrates clear links between engagement, retention, and business success indicators. Research aside, I know this is true because I have witnessed the power of engaging employees firsthand.

When I first took over a segment of a large, global professional services firm in Detroit, I put a hypothesis to the test: by taking the focus off numbers and placing it on people, numbers such as retention, client satisfaction, revenue, and profitability would climb.

The first thing I did was simple but powerful; I learned everybody’s name, which made a surprising difference. People felt respected and appreciated. Then, I began to focus on strengths, inclusion, and relationships – somewhat of a radical departure from business as usual. But, I knew I couldn’t stay the course as our firm was plagued by an unacceptable turnover rate of 32 percent. I was determined to engage employees and, together, make drastic improvements.

We did. By turning to strength-based processes such as SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results) and consciously building relationships, we took our firm from the middle of the pack to a top performer across the board. Within three years, out of 25 offices globally, we moved from 12^th to 1^st in profitability, 8^th to 1^st in revenue, and 6^th to 1^st in customer satisfaction. Employee turnover dropped from 32 to 7 percent. And, we earned Office of the Year, the Manpower Award for Operational Excellence, and Detroit Free Press Best Places to Work.

During my tenure, offices with higher engagement had significantly higher productivity, client satisfaction, and retention. This translated to the bottom line: offices with above average engagement had profit margins of 20 percent and those below average were closer to 10 percent. We estimated that even a moderate increase in the annual average engagement score of 57 percent to 65 percent would add $10 million in profit for the firm. These numbers are hard to argue.

Bottom line, employee engagement pays off – employees are happier and more productive, and stakeholder value increases. Focusing on strengths and building relationships is paramount to competing and winning in today’s fierce marketplace. What are you doing to engage your employees?