It’s Leadership, It’s Always Leadership: Why Leadership Engagement Drives Recruitment & Retention

The three big words in the workforce today are recruitment, retention and training. You would think that when the problems in the workplace are identified, solutions would also be identified, applied, improved, and voilà—problem solved. Only in this case, not only has it not solved the problem, the situation has gotten worse. Let me give you a few statistics from some big surveys.

In 2018, ADP Research (which surveys worldwide) found that only 16% of the global workforce considers itself fully engaged—leaving 84% disengaged. Those are the worst worldwide numbers we have ever seen. ITA Group Research (2019) found that engaged employees are 15x more likely to recommend their company, almost twice as willing to learn new skills, and 6x more likely to stay for a full career. Gallup (2017) identified that a highly engaged workforce leads to 41% less absenteeism, 17% more productivity, and 59% lower turnover.

So why are these numbers still declining?

Organizations have been trying: better pay, better benefits, reward programs, upgraded technology, improved flexibility. Yet the needle refuses to move in the right direction.

Why?

Leadership Engagement Is the Missing Link

Most of you already know the real answer: It’s leadership. It’s always leadership.

Leadership engagement is what strengthens recruitment, improves retention, and makes training relevant, actionable, and growth-oriented—for both the individual and the organization.

Leadership Must Start With Caring

The most important thing leadership must do is care. Care about the organization. Care about what it produces. Care about the people who make it happen. Care about making the outcomes better.

When leaders care, they seek continuous improvement, invite new ideas, and listen for better ways of doing things. Someone always has a better idea—and real leaders welcome it.

Leadership Engagement Requires Listening

Too often, leaders stop listening. Status quo becomes the rule. Don’t stand out. Don’t make waves. Just get the job done.

When you hear this language, leadership is failing.

Mission Matters

Every leader should know the mission statement—and make sure their team knows it too.

People want to know how they are doing, whether they are contributing, and where they fit in the bigger picture. A strong mission provides that clarity.

Leadership Elevates People

We worked with an organization that referred to their team as “factory workers.” Turnover was high. But when we explored what they actually produced—cutting tools used in automobiles, agriculture, aerospace—we realized: These were experts shaping the future of America.

When leadership began treating them that way, everything changed. Better work. More pride. Improved retention. Even interest in apprenticeships surfaced—because people felt valued.

Everything changed when leadership engaged with their people.

Leadership Engagement Shapes Culture

Leadership engagement is not optional—it is the foundation of culture, performance, accountability, and growth. When leaders lean in, people respond. When leaders disengage, people withdraw.

Revisit your mission statement. Reconnect with your people. And remember:

It’s Leadership. It’s Always Leadership.

If you’re working to strengthen leadership engagement on your team, our Defining Leadership workbook can help you sharpen your leadership identity, build clarity, and elevate performance across your organization.