From data to dialogue… the impact of getting real in leadership conversations

I’ve spent the past few months working with an organisation whose engagement scores had been dropping.

On paper, they had everything in place, a capable leadership team, a solid strategy, and plenty of effort going into “employee engagement.” But despite that, the numbers kept sliding. The executive team was frustrated. They didn’t understand why people weren’t feeling more connected or motivated.

And honestly, the data wasn’t helping. It told us what was happening, but not why.

So, we went deeper.

We listened. We asked different questions, the kind that get beneath the surface. We explored how people actually felt in their roles, how they experienced collaboration across teams, and what “engagement” really meant in the day-to-day moments of their work.

The stories that emerged were raw and real. They weren’t about perks or programs. They were about connection. About whether people felt seen, trusted, and part of something that mattered.

No Slides. Just Talk Us Through What Matters.

When the Board asked me to share what I’d found, their only brief was:

“No presentation. Just talk us through what matters.”

So I did.

No slides, no script. Just an honest conversation about what was really going on. They wanted the human story beneath the data.

I spoke about how people were experiencing leadership, where disconnection was showing up, and what it would take to rebuild trust and energy across the organisation.

The truth in what I was sharing shifted the energy in the room. By the end of the session, the energy shifted from concerned to clear. The team knew what they needed to focus on the drive real and sustainable lifts in engagement. 

The Chair later said it was “the best discussion on engagement we’ve ever had.”

But for me, the real win was the shift I could feel. the moment when understanding turned into insight and aligned action.

What Real Engagement Looks Like

True engagement doesn’t come from another recognition program or wellbeing plan. It comes from leaders who are willing to listen deeply and to see the reality of what their people are experiencing.

It’s built through honest conversations, not polished presentations. Through curiosity rather than defensiveness. Through small, consistent choices to connect, include, and lead with authenticity.

That’s the kind of change that starts from the inside out, and it’s where the real transformation begins.