Our first question is, "are employees engaged?" Do we even know what the Kaizen aim of "engaged employees" means, beyond the clichs?

When I work with people, I usually pose some questions and guide them to find their own answers. We explore the following, focusing on each question carefully:

1. What does the behavior of a satisfied and engaged person look like to you? Can you see examples of that behavior? How is the organization contributing to that or not?
2. Do you see some people you can ask who will tell it to you straight? What do you do when you cannot find straight answers?
3. What kinds of discussion can you have with people without leading them to what YOU want to hear?