--- title: Engagement Is a Two-Way Street - But Managers Still Drive the Bus description: Employee engagement starts with the manager, but it doesn’t end there. Learn how shared responsibility and honest conversations drive workplace engagement. image: https://sparkengagement.com/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/two%20employees%20sitting%20at%20a%20table%20talking%20to%20each%20other%20one%20is%20talking%20one%20is%20listening.jpeg --- [Skip to content](https://sparkengagement.com/blog/engagement-is-a-two-way-street-but-managers-still-drive-the-bus#main-content) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. [![Spark Engagement logo](https://sparkengagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SPARK%20LOGO%20BLUE%20YELLOW.png?width=3000&height=2000&name=SPARK%20LOGO%20BLUE%20YELLOW.png "Spark Engagement logo")](https://www.sparkengagement.com) - [Home](https://sparkengagement.com) - [Services](https://sparkengagement.com/services) - [Coaching](https://sparkengagement.com/coaching) - [Spark Source Blog](https://sparkengagement.com/blog) - [About Us](https://sparkengagement.com/about-us) - [Contact Us](https://sparkengagement.com/contact-us) - Search Search Search ![](https://sparkengagement.com/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/two%20employees%20sitting%20at%20a%20table%20talking%20to%20each%20other%20one%20is%20talking%20one%20is%20listening.jpeg) # Engagement Is a Two-Way Street - But Managers Still Drive the Bus ![Karin Martino](https://sparkengagement.com/hubfs/MakenaLeePhotography-5045-1.jpg) [Karin Martino May 26, 2025](https://sparkengagement.com/blog/author/karin-martino) - [Leadership](https://sparkengagement.com/blog/tag/leadership) - [Managers](https://sparkengagement.com/blog/tag/managers) - [Gallup](https://sparkengagement.com/blog/tag/gallup) - [Employee Engagement](https://sparkengagement.com/blog/tag/employee-engagement) - [Q12](https://sparkengagement.com/blog/tag/q12) - 3 mins ### Engagement starts with leadership, but can’t stop there What if your job could energize you instead of deplete you? What if work felt like something you *get* to do instead of something you *have* to survive? For most people, the difference comes down to one relationship: their manager. According to Gallup, **managers account for 70% of the variance in employee engagement**. Seventy percent. That means your manager has more influence on your work life than any other single factor including company perks, job title, or even compensation. But here’s what we don’t talk about enough: while the manager sets the tone for engagement, **employees have a role to play too**. ### Engagement is a shared responsibility If you're an employee, you *must* know what you need to do your best work. Do you need more feedback? Greater clarity? Recognition? Autonomy? Chances are, your manager isn’t a mind-reader. Using an employee engagement framework, such as Gallup's Q12, can help. Gallup has determined 12 core questions that identify what people need to be engaged at work like: - “I know what is expected of me at work.” - “In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.” - “There is someone at work who encourages my development.” If you’re consistently answering “no” to these questions, it’s time to get curious, not just frustrated. Ask yourself: *What do I need that I’m not getting?* And then: *Have I clearly communicated that to my manager?* If not, start there. Engagement isn't something a manager *does to* you. It's something you co-create. ### The manager’s role: make engagement possible While employees are responsible for speaking up about their needs, **managers are responsible for creating the conditions where those needs can be heard, understood, and met**. That starts with **education -** knowing what research says actually drives engagement - and continues with **intentionality**: asking the right questions, making space for honest feedback, and responding with meaningful action whenever possible. Great managers don’t just lead tasks, they lead people. And they know how much engagement matters to both performance and wellbeing. ### So, what now? If you're a manager, your role is to make it safe for employees to say what they need and then do everything in your power to meet those needs. You’re not expected to fix everything. But you are expected to care, to ask, to advocate, and to explain when things can’t change. If you're an employee who’s feeling disengaged, reflect on which of your needs isn’t being met. Identify it. Communicate it. Whether or not your manager responds the way you hope, you’ve taken control of your own engagement in the most powerful way you can. Because engagement isn’t magic. **It’s knowing the needs of employees + mutual responsibility + honest conversations.** Let’s start having more of them.   ![Karin Martino](https://sparkengagement.com/hubfs/MakenaLeePhotography-5045-1.jpg) ### Karin Martino Karin Martino is the founder of Spark Engagement and a Gallup-certified CliftonStrengths coach trained in Gallup's Q12 Engagement framework. With a Master's in Educational Leadership and certifications in Daniel Goleman and Six Seconds EQ models and training in Dare to Lead, Karin develops emotionally intelligent and effective people leaders - combining the inner work of emotional intelligence with the practical people leadership skills that help leaders and their teams truly thrive. ![Spark Engagement logo](https://sparkengagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SPARK%20LOGO%20WHITE%20YELLOW%20NO%20BG-1.png?width=2000&height=1333&name=SPARK%20LOGO%20WHITE%20YELLOW%20NO%20BG-1.png "Spark Engagement logo") **Site Map**   - [Home](https://sparkengagement.com) - [Services](https://sparkengagement.com/services) - [Coaching](https://sparkengagement.com/coaching) - [Spark Source Blog](https://sparkengagement.com/blog) - [About Us](https://sparkengagement.com/about-us) - [Contact Us](https://sparkengagement.com/contact-us) - [Terms & Conditions](https://sparkengagement.com/service-agreement-and-terms-conditions) **Contact**   Spark Engagement, LLC   PO Box 1350 Grafton, WI 53024   (414) 66-SPARK   info@sparkengagement.com © 2026 Spark Engagement, LLC Follow Us [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-martino) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Karin Martino", "url" : "https://sparkengagement.com/blog/author/karin-martino" }, "dateModified" : "2025-05-26T13:15:00.730Z", "datePublished" : "2025-05-26T13:15:00.000Z", "headline" : "Engagement Is a Two-Way Street - But Managers Still Drive the Bus", "image" : [ "https://sparkengagement.com/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/two%20employees%20sitting%20at%20a%20table%20talking%20to%20each%20other%20one%20is%20talking%20one%20is%20listening.jpeg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://sparkengagement.com/blog/engagement-is-a-two-way-street-but-managers-still-drive-the-bus", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://sparkengagement.com/hubfs/SPARK%20LOGO%20BLUE%20YELLOW.png" }, "name" : "Spark Engagement, LLC" } } ```