Managers, are you the sole cause of poor engagement levels in your office? No. Not all problems in the office are because of poor or inattentive managers. And not all of your employees are bringing you their A game. Some employees do expect too much from a job. Others lack seasoning. And a few might not have had the best attitudes about doing the job that they are paid to accomplish.

The best way to gauge the engagement levels of your employees is to take this short manager challenge. When you walk into your office today…

• Pick out the first 10 employees of yours that cross your path.
• Process this: according to Gallup, 29% of employees are actively engaged, 54% are not engaged, and 17% are actively disengaged.
• Force-rank those 10 into one of the three buckets: Actively Engaged, Not Engaged, and Actively Disengaged.

If your engagement levels are average, you are probably looking at 3 certified rock stars, 5 people who sing in the shower, and 2 William Hung’s.

If you find that you have 40% or higher Actively Engaged employees, you are above the curve. If you have high engagement numbers AND are accomplishing your departmental goals, pat yourself on the back. The posts over the last week should make you feel great.

If, however, you are having a difficult time finding at least 3 out of 10 engaged people in your halls, you might have a problem. It’s time to increase your investment in your folks. Find ways to support them, hear and implement their suggestions, and partner with their success.