Since the rise of Max Verstappen, I have watched every qualifying session and race in Formula 1. His focused and engaged driving style keeps me on the edge of my seat. Although the races often take place on the other side of the world and I have never met Max, my emotional involvement has grown considerably. Why is that? The answer is simple: engagement is contagious. That has been researched too. Arnold Bakker and Despoina Xanthopoulou showed that engagement can cross over from one colleague to another, especially on days when they work together a lot. Bakker & Xanthopoulou
What is work engagement and how does it arise?
Work engagement is the almost magical state that arises when people:
- are connected to a purpose bigger than themselves;
- contribute to that purpose by doing what they enjoy;
- experience that they achieve results and make a difference.
How does Red Bull put this into practice?
It starts with purpose, the shared higher goal. Red Bull wants to 'give wings to people and ideas'. Red Bull The company brings this to life by giving people energy and inspiring them to look at things differently, get moving and enjoy what they do. In practice, it does this with its well-known energy drinks and by sponsoring extreme sports, record attempts and Formula 1.
A fine example is the pit stop. In 2019 in Brazil, the Red Bull team changed the tyres on Max Verstappen's car in 1.82 seconds, a world record. Formula 1 Work engagement in two seconds! Do you recognise the three ingredients?
1. Being connected to a purpose bigger than yourself
In many ways, Formula 1 is one big, adventurous experiment with one goal: to get the car round the circuit as fast as possible. Drivers, mechanics and engineers live for top performance and the adventure that comes with it. Getting everything out of it, with total commitment. Connected to a higher purpose: check!
2. Contributing by doing what you enjoy
Everyone in the team contributes by doing what they are good at: racing, tinkering, analysing. But how you do it makes a big difference. Formula 1 is serious business, with big financial interests and a lot of attention to safety. Such serious matters can make day-to-day work dull and uninspiring. You see that in many companies. Red Bull, on the other hand, deliberately invests in fun. That contributes to engagement, and therefore to results. Doing it with enjoyment: check!
3. Experiencing that you achieve results and make a difference
Performing together and seeing progress feels good. When the team achieves great results, enjoyment and self-confidence grow, and with them engagement. Results and pride leave you wanting more. And a pit stop of under two seconds shows that everyone, from tyre changer to driver, makes a difference. Experiencing that you contribute to the result: check!
Finally
What I love about Formula 1 is that the mechanics' craftsmanship has become the norm. A two-second pit stop is a top performance by the whole team.
The beauty of work engagement is that it affects the people who experience it, and is contagious for the people around them. Engaged employees feel healthier and perform better. UBES manual So inspire from a shared purpose, challenge your people every day to do what they love most, celebrate the small successes and above all: make it fun!
Want to know how engaged your people are and how to help that grow? You can measure it with the Employee Engagement Survey.
