The Truth About Employee Engagement: A Fable About Addressing the Three Root Causes of Job Misery Hardcover – November 16, 2015

So a little bit of background: I recently graduated from my master's program in I/O Psychology back in May, and one of my final assignments before I got my degree was to choose a book that was relevant to the field and share my thoughts on it with my cohort. My professor, who has been teaching I/O for over four decades now, recommended this book to me because of my interest in employee engagement.I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who gives a damn or wants to give a damn about the employee experience. I won't spoil anything for anyone who is interested in reading, but something that I love about this book is that it is NOT one of those dry, self-help instructional books on how to foster employee engagement in your organization (who wants to read that??). Instead, this book is split into two sections: a story and a guide. The story, which ultimately culminates in the review of lessons demonstrated throughout the narrative (i.e., the guide), is so incredibly engaging (pun-intended) that it got me, a person who never reads for pleasure, to constantly feel the urge to read "just one more page" until I finished the whole thing in just under a week.Don't get me wrong, this book isn't just a story! As mentioned, at the end of the book, you are also provided with a guide that contains several useful tips the author learned throughout their career in promoting employee engagement. This guide gives you an idea of what you can try at your organization to achieve similar successful results. I can't rave enough about this book and how effectively it showcases the principles taught about employee engagement through the lived events of the story's main character and the antics they get up to during their search for a new challenge. Please give this book a shot!

I loved reading this. Very timely for me. The ball is on my court to now implement the 3 takeaways that are well captured in this book

I recognized early into this book that I had read it before under it's previous title of "Three Signs of a Miserable Job" but who wants to publish a review on a book with that title as it may broadcast your misery to the world. The new title solidifies it's purpose stronger. i.e. It is a leadership tool to assure your team is fully engaged and that their enthusiasm and passion for what they do is operating at peak levels. Mr. Lencioni style speaks for itself as his books are outstanding readings for a plane trip. As a leader, I find the principals of this book extremely accurate and simple must haves if you want the best out of your team members. As an employee, I can point to 1 or more of the tenants anytime my satisfaction levels dipped.

Patrick Lencioni is one of my favorite authors and leaders when it comes to creating meaning in the workplace and he doesn't disappoint with this one! His ability to drive his point home through allegory and fable really bring the concepts he talks about to life!Spoiler alert! The three root causes of job misery (according to the book) are; anonymity, irrelevance, and immeasurement. Honestly, I'm not really "spoiling" anything because you still need to learn about how these look in context as well as what we can do as leaders and managers to make sure they don't set roots in our workplace environments.These three causes are what's affecting low recruitment and retention across the board! Read this book to understand a practical approach you can take to make sure your organization or your team doesn't succumb to them.

I bought this on Kindle version.At first, I was skeptical about the content of this book. I left it hanging after reading it for a couple of pages. It confused me because I bought a practical book and instead I got a "boring" story about some CEO who resigned from his peak job to a retired version of himself. I literally left this book after the plot when he decided to live in the countryside, it bored me right away.Unfortunately, after months it left hanging unfinished, there's a time when I run out of "good book" to read about employee engagement, and that was the time when I just build up a new partnership business in food & beverages industry, this is a first time for me managing a noodle shop team.Idk why I got reminded by myself that I had a book where it told a story about retired CEO that bought dinner and try to manage the business there. I try to look it up for some inspiration or maybe some tips.I try to carry on with this book from where I last left off. I read it and I was amazed how relatable the story in the book with my current situation. I keep reading it and I was invested with the character and the plot.It was a simple story, about a retired CEO who get into a partnership with a restaurant owner and try to manage the existing crews there. Then he tries to dive in into each of the crew's life one-by-one and get to know them. He believes that everyone shouldn't be in misery when working the job they choose, and a manager's job is to help them avoid it.That's what this book is all about. A manager trying to work for the crews out of their misery. This is also where you can implicitly learn how he successfully manages a team from the abyss to its peak performance. Honestly, I took a lot of notes from the plot alone, and without realizing it, I was hugely invested on the characters.I love how the writer builds up each of the characters and let us be part of the journey of finding out things while struggling in managing the restaurant. Each of the crews has a diverse character, and each of them is set that way for the writer to show us how to handle each kind of employee with their own unique character. For example, there was an immigrant who has a language barrier but have a crucial part of the team, I believe the writer set this character to show us how that language barrier is not the main problem in bad management. There was also a delivery guy who hates his life so much and hard to fit with the new culture.It's a well-told story, well prepared and well-executed. At the end of the book, the writer also summarized everything practically in a direct way. Deep down, I felt sad when the story ends because I was too invested in the character's journey.Recommended for all of those who experience being a new manager. A lot of tips and methods you can implement literally to your team from this book.

Loved the format to make a point. I am recommending it to my business clients as a pre-read for one of my courses. Included many key points. Excellent information.

So essential, regardless of your title.I liked it alot..this applies to every role.Simple but essential for all to read.Fantastic Must read.