Fostering a Culture of Engagement is Key to Combating Employee Disengagement and Quiet Quitting

Employee engagement in the U.S. workforce has reached an alarming 11-year low, with only 30% of employees actively engaged at work, according to Gallup. This significant drop in engagement and rise in disengagement highlights a pressing challenge for leaders across various industries on how to foster a culture where employees feel motivated and valued.

What strategies can leaders implement to transform disengagement into proactive engagement within their organizations?

Holistic Leadership: The Future of Work & Education in Healthcare,” hosted by Geoffrey M. Roche, features Tom Willis, co-founder and partner at Phoenix Performance Partners and author of “The Great Engagement: How CEOs Create Exceptional Cultures.” Together, they delve into the intricacies of fostering a culture of engagement in the workplace.

Key Points of Discussion:

  • Engagement as the Antidote to Resignation: Willis emphasizes that focusing on engagement, rather than resignation, can counteract the trend of “quiet quitting” and disengagement.
  • Creating a Culture of Belonging and Psychological Safety: Effective leadership requires balancing psychological safety with encouraging employees to exercise psychological courage.
  • Leadership’s Role in Stress Alleviation: Leaders need to adopt a strategic approach to reduce workplace stress, ensuring a more supportive and productive environment.

Tom Willis is a seasoned leader with a diverse background in education, consulting, and executive management. He has served as CEO of Cornerstone and worked as a consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and an engineer at Intel Corporation. With degrees from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, Willis brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his role at Phoenix Performance Partners. He is also the author of “The Great Engagement: How CEOs Create Exceptional Cultures.”

Recent Episodes

Medicine isn’t what it used to be—not for the people practicing it. Independent physicians are becoming the exception, not the norm, as more doctors move into hospital systems, corporate groups, and academic networks. At the same time, the pipeline of specialists isn’t keeping pace with growing patient needs, particularly in complex fields like vascular…

Healthcare isn’t short on strategy right now—it’s short on people, access, and experienced leadership where it matters most. In Texas alone, more rural hospitals have closed than in any other state over the past decade, leaving entire communities with limited access to care. At the same time, many health systems are realizing they haven’t…

As healthcare costs continue to rise, more patients are finding themselves navigating not just illness, but the growing complexity of paying for treatment. Specialty pharmacy sits right at the center of that challenge—often out of sight, but increasingly essential to how modern care actually works. These high-cost, high-touch therapies now make up more than…