b'UP YOUR CULTUREElissa NaufulDirector of Sales The Center for Sales StrategyThe Hard and Soft Metrics of EngagementM any years ago, a mentor shared a piece ofity of life of managers and employees. This is quite advice that has held true over time: Whatoften the case with employee engagement. For ex-gets measured, gets done. Without mea- ample, leaders who track and actively cultivate em-surement,keyperformanceindicatorsormet- ployee engagement can resolve small problems be-rics-based data, business leaders have little indica- fore they become major issues. tion of what is working and what is wasted. In the past, and perhaps in some cases still, there A metric is simply a method to measure something.may be an organizational mindset that a focus on cul-Metricsconcerningeasilydiscernablenumbersture is nice to have but not critical to success. Doug such as profit margins, on-time delivery rates, or re- Conant, former CEO of Campbells Soup Company, turns-on-investment make nice charts in presenta- disagrees! He said, To win in the marketplace you tions, but sometimes we overlook metrics that aremust first win in the workplace. Countless success-more difficult to quantify but can have a significantful leaders can attribute direct success to creating a impact on an organizations bottom line and the qual- culture of engagement. Metrics of Engagement Employee engagement goals that can be measured by metrics include lower regrettable turnover, deep-er success with recruitment, higher retention of key customers, and lower absenteeism. Considering the cost of higher turnover, loss of key accounts, absen-teeism, and the cost of empty positions, the tangi-ble results of tracking and reducing these factors can easily add up in the tens of thousands of dollars per employee. A current study by Gallup, in the State of theAmericanWorkplace,activelydisengagedem-142 The Hard and Soft Metrics of Engagement'