---
title: Harnessing the Strengths of the Great Game of Business
description: Alia Stowers, Great Game™ Coach, emphasizes the combination of strengths-based management and the Great  Game for optimal engagement from your employees.
---

[The Great Game of Business Blog ](https://www.greatgame.com/blog)

# [Harnessing the Strengths of the Great Game of Business](https://www.greatgame.com/blog/harnessing-the-strengths-of-the-game)

 Written by [Alia Stowers](https://www.greatgame.com/blog/author/alia-stowers) | Dec 23, 2021 2:45:00 PM

“Engagement” has become such a huge buzzword in our society that some CEOs and managers no longer even want to talk about it! But don’t be fooled—this topic isn’t going anywhere. With research organization [Gallup](https://www.gallup.de/182726/q12-employee-engagement.aspx) reporting that a staggering **87% of employees worldwide are not engaged in the workplace**… we have our work cut out for us.

The Great Game of Business® seeks to [engage employees](https://www.greatgame.com/the-fundamentals/employee-engagement) by harnessing the wisdom of the crowd. Organizational goals and metrics (ex: Critical Number™ and MiniGames™) tied to organization incentives (ex: bonus plans or rewards & recognition) push a “we’re all in this together” culture. [Financial literacy](https://www.greatgame.com/the-fundamentals/financial-literacy-training) and open books in your Huddles, if used well, **increase both the opportunity and the competency of front-line workers** to promote engagement in the values and priorities of the business.

Some leaders may find that while the principles themselves are empowering, they struggle to clearly communicate or inspire front-line workers in The Game. This is where using Gallups CliftonStrengths® (a strengths assessment-based approach to management) to [engage, inspire, and empower employees](https://www.greatgame.com/blog/how-to-engage-motivate-inspire-employees) can make all the difference in *your* Game.

### **The Good News**

Though the 87% engagement statistic is daunting, the good news is that companies with **highly-engaged workforces outperform their peers by [147%](https://www.gallup.de/182726/q12-employee-engagement.aspx)** in earnings per share.

Integrating concepts around building a strengths-based culture provides a tool to draw out the best talents and strengths of your employees so you know exactly how to **motivate, challenge, and move team members around for the greatest impact of the team and the Great Game**.

For example, a high *Competition®* team member will grab on to MiniGames easily, but may not seem as engaged in discussions around the Critical Number. A high *Deliberative®* team member may talk only of the risk of playing The Game; only when leadership mitigates those risks in that team member’s mind will she fully engage, and may even become The Game’s greatest advocate. High *Context®* players need to know the stories about the past, whereas high *Futuristic®* players will enjoy projections. Knowing your players’ talents explains individual and organizational biases and **gives direction for leaders to drive forward…leaving no employee behind.**

### **The Next Step **

As Simon Sinek said, “When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.” A strengths-based culture gets employees **emotionally invested** **in the goals, metrics, and even incentives** the Great Game of Business helps them set.

> *Looking for more on how to increase employee engagement? Join us for our next workshop focusing on Implementation + Strategic Planning.  
> *

 

**Other Articles You Might Like:**

- [How to Grow Engagement from Apathetic to Awesome](https://www.greatgame.com/blog/how-to-grow-engagement-from-apathetic-to-awesome)
- [5 Things Every Manager Needs To Know About Employee Engagement](https://www.greatgame.com/blog/5-things-every-manager-needs-to-know-about-employee-engagement) 
- [Is Open-Door Policy Just Lazy Leadership?](https://www.greatgame.com/blog/is-an-open-door-policy-lazy-leaderhsip)
- [How the Rules of Improv Can Improve Your Business](https://www.greatgame.com/blog/how-the-rules-of-improve-can-improve-your-culture)
- [Four Rules Our Favorite Comedians Teach Us About Effective Teamwork ](https://www.greatgame.com/blog/four-rules-our-favorite-comedians-teach-us-about-teamwork)

[View full post](https://www.greatgame.com/blog/harnessing-the-strengths-of-the-game)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Alia Stowers"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2024-09-24T18:27:43.747Z",
  "datePublished" : "2021-12-23T14:45:00Z",
  "headline" : "Harnessing the Strengths of the Game",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 1260,
    "url" : "https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/hubfs/2628288/Canva%20images/alia%20stowers%20-%20Harnessing%20the%20Strengths.png",
    "width" : 2240
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://www.greatgame.com/blog/harnessing-the-strengths-of-the-game",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60.0,
      "url" : "https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/hubfs/2628288/Logos-Branding/GGOB%20logo.png",
      "width" : 173.0
    },
    "name" : "Blog"
  }
}
```