About the Authors
Bob Kelleher is an award-winning author, thought leader, keynote speaker, and consultant. He travels the globe sharing his insights on employee engagement, leadership, and workforce trends. Bob is the author of Amazon’s topselling employee engagement book for 2011, Louder Than Words: 10 Practical Employee Engagement Steps That Drive Results (BLKB Publishing), and the critically acclaimed 2012 book Creativeship: A Novel for Evolving Leaders (BLKB Publishing).
Bob is the founder of The Employee Engagement Group, a global consulting firm that works with leadership teams to implement best-in-class leadership and employee engagement programs, workshops, and surveys. He has recently introduced the world’s first virtual, cloud-based employee engagement resource center, the Engage On-Demand Resource Library. Bob’s website, www.employeeengagement.com
Bob can be seen or heard on national media (most recently on CNBC, CBS Radio, and NBC News, as well as in Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, Fortune, Training, and Yahoo!), and is a frequent guest writer and contributing editor for many national publications.
Bob has spoken with audiences around the world, has presented to the leadership teams of many of the world’s top companies, and is a frequent conference presenter, including at those hosted by Aberdeen, the Conference Board, the Human Capital Institute, Linkage, Melcrum, and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Before becoming a speaker, author, and entrepreneur, Bob spearheaded award-winning employee engagement programs and initiatives during his years as chief human resources officer, executive vice president of organizational development, and chief operating officer working for firms ranging in size from 800 employees to 47, 000 employees.
Bob holds a BS in education and an MBA. He lives in the Boston area with his wife, Candy, and their three children, Marissa, Brendan, and Connor.
Dedication
To my past: Mom and Dad, as you watch down from heaven, just know that you did good. Real good. I miss you every day.
To my present: My wife, Candy, you are my soul mate, best buddy, inspiration, and the greatest mom to our kids I could have ever hoped for. I so love you! And Ed, you continue to be such a precious bridge, linking our past to the grandkids’ future.
To my future: Marissa (and new mate, Drew), Brendan, and Connor, you guys continue to make Mom and me proud of who you are, what you’ve become, and where you’re going! I love you guys!
Author’s Acknowledgements
Special thanks start with you, Stacy Kennedy, first, for finding me and helping to convince me to take on this project, and second, for your graceful style and demeanor in handling the business side of partnering with Wiley. Additional thanks go to editor Elizabeth Kuball, whose diligence in keeping the project on track was at times demanding but often necessary. Without your ongoing attention to our timeline, we might have been stressed to meet our various milestones. Most important among the Wiley team, thank you, Kate Shoup. Partnering with you enhanced the project. Your calming demeanor, hilarious e-mails, and brilliant writing made this project so much more enjoyable.
I would be remiss in not thanking all whose research helped add credibility to this book. Dale Carnegie, Gallup, SilkRoad, and others, you are great at what you do, bringing the science to support my practical experiences, tools, and intuition regarding all things engagement. You collectively have made a terrific business case that employee engagement drives business results.
Technical editor Kevin Sensenig, thank you for agreeing to take on this project and providing such great technical oversight. This book is richer because of your involvement.
Dr. Wayne Cascio, thank you for agreeing to pen the foreword to this book. There is no one out there whose work I admire more. Not only are you brilliant, but you are an amazing man.
Work colleagues Steph Mello, John Konselman, and Allan Benowitz, thanks for your ongoing support making our firm a success and your tolerance of my schedule. You guys are the best.
Marissa, Brendan, and Connor, thanks for being the world’s best kids, and for implicitly contributing to this book by allowing me to observe how your generation communicates, works, and thinks. Firms must figure out how to engage your generation if they’re going to win in the future, and your willingness to allow me to peek into your thinking will help the readers of this book.
Lastly, thank you, Candy, the world’s greatest wife and mom, for pushing me to take on this project even though you knew it would cost me many weekends.
Publisher’s Acknowledegments
Acquisitions Editor: Stacy Kennedy
Project Editor: Elizabeth Kuball
Copy Editor: Elizabeth Kuball
Technical Editor: Kevin J. Sensenig, PhD
Project Coordinator: Patrick Redmond
Special Help: Kate Shoup
Cover Image: © iStockphoto.com/kristian sekulic