The Science of Engaged Teams: Bridging Leadership Practice with Cutting-Edge Academic Research​ developed in partnership with Prof. Christopher Bryan (UT Austin, McCombs School of Business) and Prof. Cameron Hecht (University of Rochester)​.

The Challenge:​

A team in which every member is driven by a deep sense of personal investment in advancing team objectives is every manager’s dream. But most managers struggle to make this dream a reality. Team members feel checked-out and give less than their best while managers remain stuck in micromanagement and constant follow-up, and eventually burnout.​

Our Solution​

We teach managers to harness two ancient and powerful psychological drives to reshape their team’s culture:

• Social Status (“Motivation Rocket Fuel”): Recognition and belonging, when used effectively, are the most powerful—and least costly—motivators at a manager’s disposal.​
• Reciprocity (“The Glue”): When managers invest in valuing their people, direct reports naturally want to reciprocate by investing in team success.​

More than just inspiring ideas. A complete roadmap.​

We equip managers with conceptual tools rooted in the science of human motivation, and the concrete guidance they need to apply those tools effectively:​

• Low-cost, high-leverage actions to embed recognition and reciprocity into daily work​
• Conversation frameworks for one-on-ones that spark reciprocal investment​
• Simple rituals to sustain the cycle in everyday interactions​

Measurable Impact​

Want hard evidence of the program’s impact on your organization? Using a gold-standard randomized, controlled evaluation, we will measure improvements in:​

• Performance​
• Retention​
• Burnout reduction​

Why It Matters​

This isn’t about adding more to managers’ plates—it’s about transforming the way they lead so that their daily tasks fuel their mission instead of competing with it.