One of the biggest challenges faced in the workplace by employers is developing and retaining high performers. Most organizations’ leaders believe that limited resources, toxicity and tight budgets are the biggest reasons why employees disengage or don’t always perform at their peak. However, according to the “Hundred Percenter Index” conducted by Leadership IQ, the real reason employees do, or do not, give their best effort has to do with leadership.

This book is built on the research, study and concepts of Leadership IQ, the elite employee engagement and leadership training company, founded by author Mark Murphy.

The principle theme of the book stems from the engagement survey—The Hundred Percenter Index—asking employees to assess whether or not their work (and work environment) inspires them to give their best effort. The incredible findings from their studies of over 125,000 leaders are designed to help organizations address commonly found engagement issues. The results were boiled down to 14 key survey questions that they found to be significant predictors of whether an employee will be inspired to give his or her best effort at work. Discovering these questions have a built in clear path to positive action, they divided them into six big themes thoroughly fleshed out in the remaining chapters, each of which looks deeply into the key engagement strategy and provides concrete actionable steps to employ them.

If you know me, then you know I am a huge fan of Mark Murphy and Leadership IQ. Their tools, trainings, webinars and resources are not only research-based, but approachable at all levels. Each of their resources provides a blueprint of how you can grow and develop your own career, build your team, communicate in a way that inspires action and results, and hone your leadership skills so that your team will feel challenged and recognized, not to mention inspired to give you their all.

But in addition to the research-based success strategies in all of Murphy’s books (and resources), they have a very clear path to follow along with supporting reasons why and the results that you will achieve. He also has a lot of fun with the approach, helping you and your employees embrace the ideas and methodologies as a team, i.e. “Bless Your Hearts” and “Maestro Leaders.” What is also incredibly helpful is that each of Murphy’s books layer upon his fundamental success strategies including “HARD Goals” and “Accountability” so that the concepts are reinforced and can be thoughtfully applied in a vast array of workplace situations, career planning stages, or leadership initiatives.

Image courtesy of Leadership IQ