There are 12 simple questions about day-to-day realities that determine whether people are engaged, not engaged, or actively disengaged at work. Answer them for yourself first.
The point of this assessment isn’t to pick the “right” answer but the one that is most true for you. That you know the right answer is of very little value. After all, as Stephen R. Covey so aptly put it, “To know and not to do is really not to know.”
For each of the following questions, answer Yes or No regarding your current view of work. Don’t think too long about a question; go with your first reaction. Scoring is at the end.
1) Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2) Do I have the materials and equipment that I need in order to do my work right?
3) At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4) In the past seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
5) Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
6) Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
7) At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8) Does the mission or purpose of my company make me feel that my job is important?
9) Are my coworkers committed to doing quality work?
10) Do I have a best friend at work?
11) In the past six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
12) This past year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?
SCORING:
Give yourself 1 point for every Yes.
Scores:
0 to 6 = poor to fair level of engagement
7 to 9 = fair to good level of engagement
10 to 12 = good to great level of engagement.
Now, if you are responsible for building a team, your second task is to help every person on your team generate positive answers to these same questions. Because the truth is, it doesn’t matter how many people are on the payroll. It matters how many engaged people vs. disengaged people you have on staff. The wrong ratio is a liability that can bring down even the most promising organization.
~The DISC Wizard
P.S. This assessment is based on The Gallup Q12 Index. Gallup’s employee engagement work is based on more than 30 years of in-depth behavioral economic research involving more than 17 million employees. Through rigorous research, Gallup has identified 12 core elements — the Q12 — that link powerfully to key business outcomes. These 12 statements emerged as those that best predict employee and workgroup performance.
