Bob Nelson - 1,001 Ways to Engage Employees: Help People Do Better What They Do Best

Praise for 1,001 Ways to Engage Employees

Dr. Bob Nelson has done it again! His 1,001 Ways to Engage Employees is a must read for anyone who manages people. In fact, it is a must read for anyone who works with people! Hundreds of effective, practical, and inexpensive ideas to engage and motivate employees told in Dr. Bob's fun and pragmatic writing style. Loved it!

Bob Kelleher, CEO, The Employee Engagement Group, author,
Louder Than Words and I-Engage

I've known and have respected Dr. Bob and his work for years and was especially delighted that he has focused his attention on a topic of critical importance to businesses of all types and sizes: Employee Engagement. I believe anyone who got his new book, 1,001 Ways to Engage Employees, would benefit immensely from the practical, positive, real-life examples he shares on the researched-based factors that most impact employees to be their best at work. Get a copy for yourself and another for your manager!

Kevin Sheridan, New York Times bestselling author,
Building a Magnetic Culture and The Virtual Manager

Past Praise for Dr. Bob Nelson

Dr. Bob's books give readers ideas on how to inspire their employees to deliver the best performance every dayfor little or no cost.

Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com

Dr. Bob Nelson provides a motherload of practical ideas and practices on building employee morale and unleashing employee potential. He represents the new frontier of organizational effectivenessteaching us to treat our employees as we want them to treat out best customers.

Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author,
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

Engaged employees are a vital force in any successful organization. Dr. Bob Nelson shows us how to unleash this power through a wealth of practical examples that are sure to inspire new heights of employee performance.

J.W. Marriott, Jr., Chairman and CEO, Marriott International, Inc.

Dr. Bob Nelson helps managers mold new management styles at their companies.

The New York Times

We all know the power of a good story. A good example provides us with much the same. Bob Nelson has given us a resource that not only shows us what others have done to get the best from employees, but what we can do as well.

Jack Canfield, coauthor, Chicken Soup for the Soul

Bob Nelson shows that there's a difference between having someone show up for work and bringing out the best thinking and initiative in each person. To do that requires treating employees more as partners, not as subordinates.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Bob Nelson has provided a catalogue of practical and do-able ideas and suggestions. Start anywhere in his, books but get started in enabling others to act.

Dr. Barry Posner, Dean, Leavy School of Business,
Santa Clara University

Bob Nelson has literally rewritten the way that companies can effectively inspire people. Nelson provides tools to create real improvement in employee morale, productivity and individual, professional and personal development.

Paul Sanders, Director, Lessons in Leadership

This edition first published in 2018 by Career Press, an imprint of
Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC
With offices at:
65 Parker Street, Suite 7
Newburyport, MA 01950
www.redwheelweiser.com
www.careerpress.com

Copyright 2018 by Dr. Bob Nelson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

Material in this book has been reprinted with permission by:
Recognizing & Engaging Employees For Dummies by Dr. Bob Nelson. Copyright 2015 by John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

The Management Bible by Bob Nelson and Peter Economy
Copyright 2005 by Nelson Motivation, Inc. and Peter Economy, Inc. Published by John Wiley
& Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

21 Ways to Say Thank You from 501 Ways to Roll Out the Red Carpet for Your Customers by
Donna Cutting 2015 by Career Press, Inc. an imprint of Red Wheel/Weiser, Pompton Plains,
New Jersey. Used with permission of the author.

Gracious Space 2nd Edition by Patricia Hughes with Bill Grace 2011 The Center for Ethical
Leadership, Seattle, Washington. Used with permission of the publisher.

A Note From the Publisher
More extensive citation information for this book can be found on the author's website
www.drbobnelson.com/1001WaystoEngageEmployeesreferences

ISBN: 978-1-63265-137-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
available upon request.

Cover design by Howard Grossman
Interior photos/images by Envato Elements
Typeset in Optima and American Typewriter

Printed in Canada
MAR
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

www.redwheelweiser.com/newsletter

Other books by Bob Nelson

Recognizing & Engaging Employees for Dummies

Companies Don't Succeed, People Do! 50 Ways to Motivate Your Team

1,501 Ways to Reward Employees

365 Ways to Manage Better perpetual calendar

Ubuntu! An Inspiring Story About an African Tradition of Teamwork and Collaboration with Dr. Stephen Lundin

Managing for Dummies, 3rd Edition, with Peter Economy

Motivating Today's Employees

Keeping Up in a Down Economy: What the Best Companies Do to Get Results in Tough Times

Consulting for Dummies, 2nd Edition, with Peter Economy

1,001 Ways to Reward Employees, 2nd Edition

The Management Bible, with Peter Economy

The 1,001 Rewards & Recognition Fieldbook: The Complete Guide with Dr. Dean Spitzer

Please Don't Just Do What I Tell YouDo What Needs to Be Done!

1,001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work

1,001 Ways to Energize Employees

Empowering Employees Through Delegation

Delegation: The Power of Letting Go

Decision Point: A Business Game Book

Exploring the World of Business with Drs. Ken Blanchard, Charles Schewe, and Alex Hiam

You'll never get the best from employees by trying to build a fire under them. You've got to build a fire within them.

Bob Nelson

I was delighted when Bob Nelson asked me to do the Foreword for this book. We have spent much time discussing the topic of employee engagement over the years, and I was excited that he was focusing on it, first, because it is sorely needed given how little real progress most organizations have made on truly engaging their employees, and second, because I feel Bob's unique approach of identifying positive, real-life, practical strategies and examples for readers to draw from was exactly what could make the most difference on the topic for both individuals and organizations alike. Whereas I maintain that behavioral change is difficult, Bob consistently reminds us that change can be easier than we might think and is often simply a matter of finding the right idea at the right time to successfully implement. This book will help you do that.

One of the eternal mysteries in the field of talent management is the poor return from American companies' $10 billion investment in programs to boost employee engagement. Part of the problem is that despite the massive spending on surveying, training, and related programs, many companies end up doing things that stifle rather than promote engagement. Why is that? I believe that it's primarily because we frame the problem incorrectly, starting with who should be held responsible on the topic.