Engaging leadership starts with the engagement of the leader. That sounds obvious, but in practice the picture is too often different. Engaged people are full of energy, enthusiastic about their work and genuinely proud of the organisation they work for. And that is contagious!
Note: an engaged leader is something different from a workaholic. A workaholic may work just as hard, but mainly because they feel they have to. They are driven by external things, such as prestige, money, status or the fear of failure. An engaged leader works from enjoyment and an inner drive. They find the work valuable and visibly enjoy it. And there is also time for friends, family and hobbies. Work hard, play hard! Read more about the difference between a workaholic and an engaged employee.
Why does it start with the leader?
Simple… employees look to you for direction and inspiration! We can't expect engaged employees if we are not engaged ourselves. Gallup shows how big your influence is: managers account for 70% of the variance in engagement between teams. Gallup
At the same time, it is precisely managers' engagement that is under pressure. Worldwide, manager engagement fell from 31% in 2022 to 22% in 2025 (Gallup, State of the Global Workplace 2026). In the Netherlands, on average only 14% of employees are engaged at work (Gallup, the Netherlands). So there is a lot to gain.
Professor Wilmar Schaufeli describes the leader who fosters work engagement as someone who inspires, strengthens and connects employees. Such a leader reduces what costs energy and increases what gives energy. Schaufeli So take a look in the mirror today… how engaged are you (still)? Below you can read how to recognise an engaged leader.
Talk about the higher purpose
An engaged leader knows why the organisation exists and works from purpose. They know what their people, products and services contribute to, and that is often more than just making money. They keep that higher purpose alive by talking about it enthusiastically every day. And they test their decisions against one question: does this contribute to what we stand for? By living the purpose like this, the leader connects, inspires and motivates their people. Also read purpose gives your work value.
Give autonomy and trust
Once we know what we are doing it for, the next challenge is to give people as much room as possible. According to the self-determination theory of Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, every human being has three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence and relatedness. An environment that meets them produces the best form of motivation, with more persistence, better performance and more creativity. Self-Determination Theory
So give people their own responsibility and the freedom to organise their work as they see fit. That way you show trust, and employees keep thinking for themselves about how they can contribute most. It also means that an engaged leader doesn't give in to the urge to control that prevails in many organisations. Instead, make sure you have the right people in your team, give a clear direction and clear goals, trust and let go! Let people do what they are good at and above all enjoy.
Coach and develop your people
An engaged leader coaches their people to get even better at what they already do well. They show appreciation for their efforts and make sure they feel a valued part of the team. That pays off: according to Gallup, employees who feel sufficiently recognised for their work are four times as likely to be engaged. Gallup
Don't just think of the obvious options, such as training and education. More important is that employees notice they can learn and improve every day in the work itself. Challenge plays a big role in this. People who are challenged often grow in their skills without noticing and are proud of their results. Without challenge, there is a good chance that someone becomes unmotivated, gets bored, starts to resist or applies for jobs elsewhere.
Give clear feedback
Feedback doesn't just belong in the annual appraisal or performance review. Give feedback on how the other person is performing as often as possible, and link it to the higher purpose of the organisation. Focus mainly on what is going well and say so. That makes people better, happier and more engaged.
Gallup advises managers to have a short, meaningful conversation with each employee every week. Of employees who received meaningful feedback in the past week, 80% are fully engaged. Gallup
In this way, the engaged leader builds a culture in which not only the manager gives feedback, but colleagues also keep each other sharp as 'critical friends'. Sincerely, clearly and with a certain vulnerability.
Set challenging goals
Finally, the engaged leader sets challenging goals. People need challenge to become engaged. Without challenge you get, at best, a satisfied employee, not an engaged one. Dutch research on job crafting showed that people who seek out new challenges and resources themselves are more engaged in their work. Tims, Bakker & Derks
What manager doesn't want their people to work on goals they can really sink their teeth into? Goals that make us go that extra step. From a shared higher purpose, in trust and with room for their own approach. In the end, that delivers more focus, enjoyment and results!
Want to know how your employees experience your leadership? You can measure it with the Responsible Leadership Scale. And if you want to work on it yourself as a leader, take a look at the programmes for leaders.
About this article: written by Martine de Troije and updated by the editors of Alles over bevlogenheid.
