By George Anderson
Uninspired and all but retired is how a USA Today report describes many top executives currently running many American businesses.
Research conducted by the Gallup Organization to determine how engaged employees are at work has found that many corner offices are inhabited by people who are simply going through the motions or, in some cases, not even doing that.
According to Gallup, fewer than half (49 percent) of top executives are engaged in their jobs, while nine percent are actively disengaged.
Marcus Buckingham, author of First, Break All The Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently and The One Thing You Need to Know, said Gallup's research in on target. "You have no idea how dysfunctional most executive teams are," he said.
Moderator's Comment: What are the causes of executives becoming disengaged from their work? What can companies do to create (looking for a term here) a culture of engagement? Are there companies you can point to as fitting this description?
The following lyrics from a great song on the Soul Gravy CD by Cross Canadian Ragweed (not about business executives) came to mind when reading the USA Today piece. We've known more than our fair share of execs who fit the profile:
"Sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Everything around you's growin' old.
The days drag on, the nights last forever,
Every day's tougher just to keep it together."