Follow This Path

About the Author

Curt Coffman and Gabriel Gonzalez-Molina, Ph.D., are distinguished researchers at The Gallup Organization, renowned for their groundbreaking work in organizational development and employee engagement. Curt Coffman is the co-author of the bestseller First, Break All the Rules and serves as Gallup's Global Practice Leader for Q12 Management Consulting. Gabriel Gonzalez-Molina is Gallup's Global Practice Leader for Gallup Path Management. Their collaborative efforts have produced significant insights into how organizations can harness human potential to drive growth.

Main Idea

Follow This Path: How the World's Greatest Organizations Drive Growth by Unleashing Human Potential delves into the findings from Gallup’s extensive research involving over 10 million employees and 200,000 managers. The book emphasizes that emotional engagement of employees and customers is paramount to organizational success. By fostering a workplace where emotional connections thrive, companies can achieve remarkable efficiency, profitability, and sustainable growth.

Table of Contents

• Introduction: The Path to Take
• An Emotion-Driven Economy
• Discover the Talents of Each Employee
• Build Strong Customer Relationships
• The Route That Never Goes Astray
• Steering Toward Engagement
• The 12 Conditions for a Great Workplace
• Directions for Enhancing and Managing Employee Engagement
• Emotional Economics, Part 1
• The Disengagement Warnings You Must Heed
• The Open Highway
• It's All in Your Heart
• Customer Loyalty
• The Four Emotional States That Drive Customer Engagement
• Directions for Enhancing and Managing Customer Engagement
• Managing the Emotional Economy

Introduction: The Path to Take

Great organizations achieve sustainable growth and profits by maximizing the innate, individual talents of their employees to connect with customers. Gallup’s research shows that by tapping into human resources, significant improvements and competitive advantages can be achieved. It is crucial for organizations to understand and implement strategies that engage employees and customers on an emotional level.

“Great organizations achieve sustainable growth and profits because they do what other organizations don't: They maximize the innate, individual talents of their employees to connect with customers.” – Curt Coffman and Gabriel Gonzalez-Molina

An Emotion-Driven Economy

In today’s competitive world, successful organizations chart a course that keeps customer relationships intact and thriving by connecting emotionally. This emotional connection fosters customer loyalty and engagement, which in turn drives growth and profitability. Employees who are emotionally engaged are more productive and create a competitive edge for their organizations.

Gallup’s research identifies that the modern workplace has drastically changed from previous generations. Employees no longer stay at one job for their entire careers. The concept of loyalty has shifted, and organizations must adapt to these changes by focusing on emotional engagement to retain both employees and customers.

Creating an environment where employees are emotionally engaged means recognizing that people are emotional first and rational second. This understanding allows organizations to set up conditions that generate and cultivate emotional mechanisms among employees and customers. These conditions are fostered through human interaction, the fastest and most powerful trigger of emotional states.

Discover the Talents of Each Employee

Every individual possesses unique talents that, when aligned with the right role, result in superior performance. Organizations must identify, select, and develop these talents to maximize employee potential. This approach not only enhances productivity but also fosters a fulfilling work environment where employees thrive.

“Everyone has talent - the natural predispositions that make each of us particularly effective. It is when this recurrent pattern of thinking, feeling and behavior is applied to the right role that superior performance is generated.” – Curt Coffman and Gabriel Gonzalez-Molina

For instance, Gallup found that employees who use their natural talents in their jobs produce significantly more than average workers. These employees form teams that deliver exceptional outcomes. Customers recognize the passion and commitment these employees feel towards them, creating an emotionally driven connection that fosters engagement and loyalty.