No Ego

The New York Times bestselling author of Reality-Based Leadership rejects the current fad of "engaging" employees and the emotional drama of "meeting their needs"—returning leadership to leaders and productivity to businesses.

For years now, leaders in almost every industry have accepted two completely false assumptions—that change is hard, and that engagement drives results. Those beliefs have inspired expensive attempts to shield employees from change, involve them in high-level decision-making, and keep them happy with endless "satisfaction surveys" and workplace perks. But what these engagement programs actually do, Cy Wakeman says, is inflate expectations and sow unhappiness, leaving employees unprepared to adapt to even minor changes necessary to the organization's survival. Rather than driving performance and creating efficiencies, these programs fuel entitlement and drama, costing millions in time and profit.

It is high time to...