Employee Engagement

Sep 273 min read

Forget About Finding Work-Life Balance

As technology connects you to work 24/7, finding a work-life balance feels like a fantasy. Forget about it. Look for your ikigai instead.

The Goldilocks Principle: Finding the Sweet Spot Between Burnout and Boredom

Melissa Hughes

Sep 15 min read

The Goldilocks Principle: Finding the Sweet Spot Between Burnout and Boredom

It's no secret that stress is bad for us. But not enough stress may be just as bad. The Goldilocks Rule is key for maximum productivity.

What Employees Want: Why they stay and why they quit

Melissa Hughes

Jun 14 min read

What Employees Want: Why they stay and why they quit

One of the toughest organizational challenges right now is finding and keeping talent. The research is clear: employees care about culture.

Melissa Hughes

Apr 15 min read

The Price of Success

Employees don't love their jobs because they are making millions for shareholders. That rarely inspires the individual to work harder.

Melissa Hughes

Jan 83 min read

Psychological Safety Fuels Performance

Psychological safety isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a must-have for a vibrant and healthy company culture and peak performance.

Groupthink: Smiling and Nodding your Way to Defeat

Melissa Hughes

Dec 1, 20234 min read

Groupthink: Smiling and Nodding your Way to Defeat

Consensus decision-making sits just on the edge of groupthink, and it's the best way to keep the best brain power ... away from the team.

Melissa Hughes

Nov 27, 20234 min read

The Irony of a Diverse Workforce

While many organizations have made great gains to be more inclusive, we've still got a lot of work to do.

Do the Hardest Workers Kill Company Culture?

Melissa Hughes

Oct 21, 20234 min read

Do the Hardest Workers Kill Company Culture?

Engaged employees increase revenue and create a profitable company. But the hardest workers may actually be killing organizational culture.

Is Emotional Contagion Hijacking your Team?

Melissa Hughes

Sep 11, 20234 min read

Is Emotional Contagion Hijacking your Team?

Comprehensive research has discovered “emotional contagion.” Simply put, we don't just coexist; we share the human condition.

Putting Gratitude to Work in the Workplace

Melissa Hughes

Sep 11, 20232 min read

Putting Gratitude to Work in the Workplace

Just like in our personal lives, a sense of gratitude can improve self-esteem, optimism, a sense of unity, and overall well-being at work.

Melissa Hughes

Jun 6, 20234 min read

Inside the Brains of Engaged Employees

Having a job you hate is worse than being unemployed — and if you're not thriving at work, you're probably not thriving at life.

Those Invisible Forces that Make Us Predictably Irrational

Melissa Hughes

Apr 1, 20233 min read

Those Invisible Forces that Make Us Predictably Irrational

As incredible as the brain is, it’s also incredibly flawed. We all have biases that make us irrational, and they are completely predictable.

Melissa Hughes

Mar 1, 20232 min read

The Best Way to Demotivate Employees

Every organization seems to be searching for the secret sauce to employee engagement and healthy company culture. It's easier than you think

Team Dynamics: The Difference Between a Team of All-Stars and an All-Star Team

Melissa Hughes

Feb 22, 20235 min read

Team Dynamics: The Difference Between a Team of All-Stars and an All-Star Team

Organizations that want to ramp up innovation and profitability are more focused on collective brainpower than individual smarts.

Melissa Hughes

Feb 13, 20232 min read

The Ultimate Performance-Enhancing Drug

It's widely accepted that gratitude is good for the soul. But, did you know it's a GAME-CHANGER in the workplace?

5 Power Phrases that Transform Company Culture

Melissa Hughes

Apr 27, 20222 min read

5 Power Phrases that Transform Company Culture

Emotionally intelligent leaders who inspire an engaged workforce know that the language they use sets the tone for the culture.

Melissa Hughes

Mar 11, 20224 min read

Bad Bosses Kill More than Culture

More than half of American employees have left their jobs because of poor leadership. Sadly, there is no shortage of bad bosses.

3 Ways to Boost your Conversational Intelligence

Melissa Hughes

Jan 7, 20225 min read

3 Ways to Boost your Conversational Intelligence

Constructive criticism can prevent us from making mistakes in the present. But without positive feedback longterm improvement isn't likely.

Melissa Hughes

Jan 6, 20223 min read

4 Phrases Great Leaders Use Often

People don't leave bad jobs; they leave bad bosses. Most bad bosses lack the vocabulary to keep people engaged and productive.

Melissa Hughes

Oct 4, 20193 min read

On the Other Side of Taylorism

What the Taylor Motivation Theory lacks is an understanding of human motivation. Most employees need motivation to be productive.