Curt Coffman Quotes

Powerful Curt Coffman for Daily Growth

About Curt Coffman

Curt Coffman is an American author, researcher, and consultant who has made significant contributions to the field of management and employee engagement. Born on March 15, 1961, in the United States, Coffman's interest in organizational psychology was sparked early in his career as a management consultant with Gallup Inc., a global performance-management consulting company. Coffman played a pivotal role in the development and validation of Gallup's Q^{12} employee engagement survey. The Q^{12} measures the 12 key elements that drive employee engagement, which Coffman believed could significantly impact organizational success. His work on the Q^{12} has been instrumental in helping businesses worldwide understand and improve their employees' levels of engagement. One of Coffman's most notable works is the book "First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently" co-authored with Marcus Buckingham, published in 1999. This book presents research findings on what makes a great manager, and it has become a classic in the field of management literature. In 2005, Coffman released another influential book titled "Follow This Path: How the World's Greatest Companies Tackle Organizational Change." This work focuses on organizational change and provides insights into how successful companies manage change effectively. Throughout his career, Curt Coffman has been influenced by a wide range of thinkers in management, psychology, and organizational behavior, including Frederick Winslow Taylor, Douglas McGregor, and Abraham Maslow. His works continue to influence business leaders and organizations striving for high-performance cultures and engaged workforces.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Employee engagement is a function of leadership."

Curt Coffman's quote emphasizes that employee engagement is significantly influenced by leadership within an organization. In other words, leaders play a crucial role in creating an environment where employees are motivated, committed, and productive. Engaged employees are more likely to be dedicated to their work, contribute to the success of the organization, and exhibit higher levels of job satisfaction. Therefore, effective leadership that fosters trust, communication, and development opportunities can greatly improve employee engagement.


"The biggest challenge for most leaders is not the economy, technology change, or competition. It's their employees' attitude and behavior."

This quote emphasizes that one of the greatest hurdles faced by most leaders isn't external factors like economic conditions, technological advancements, or market competition, but rather the mindset and actions of their team members. In other words, a positive, engaged workforce is essential for success in today's dynamic business landscape. Leaders must prioritize understanding and influencing employee attitudes and behaviors to foster productivity, innovation, and overall organizational achievement.


"Leaders are responsible for creating the conditions in which engaged employees can do their best work."

This quote emphasizes that effective leaders play a crucial role in fostering an environment where employees feel motivated, committed, and empowered to perform at their best. In essence, it means that leaders should create conditions such as trust, support, opportunities for growth, and clear expectations, enabling employees to fully engage in their work and unleash their potential.


"Engaged employees are more productive, have better ideas, and deliver superior service to customers."

This quote suggests that when employees are engaged, they are more motivated, dedicated, and invested in their work. As a result, they tend to be more productive as they put forth greater effort and initiative. Furthermore, their increased engagement often leads to innovative thinking, which can generate better ideas for the organization. Lastly, an engaged workforce is better equipped to deliver exceptional service to customers, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. In essence, employee engagement is a key driver of organizational success.


"The most important factor that distinguishes a high-commitment culture from other types of cultures is employee engagement."

This quote emphasizes that a high-commitment culture, in contrast to others, stands out primarily due to the level of employee engagement it fosters. In such cultures, employees are not just working for a paycheck but feel invested, motivated, and committed to their roles because they see value in their work and feel a strong connection to the organization's mission and values. This high level of engagement leads to increased productivity, job satisfaction, and overall success for the organization.


It is the role of the manager to keep information and dialogue about engagement active over the course of the year. To build a highly engaged team, the quality of managers that an organisation puts in front of their people is important.

- Curt Coffman

Over, Role, Engaged, Organisation

Most companies have become very good at measuring the engagement levels of the workforce. However, they do not take the next step to discover ways to build these engagement levels.

- Curt Coffman

Next, Very, However, Workforce

Negativity is like a blood clot, and actively disengaged employees sometimes clot together in groups that support and reinforce their beliefs.

- Curt Coffman

Sometimes, Like, Groups, Actively

Employees will tolerate a lot from a great manager. But employees are very quick to leave a manager. The manager is the way in which all broader initiatives are translated and filtered and make sense to individual employees.

- Curt Coffman

Quick, Very, Which, Tolerate

Managers forget what it was like to be an employee and the qualities important for managers to have. Also, managers need to maintain strong relationships with the people they manage.

- Curt Coffman

Strong, Need, Like, Manage

One mistake is that managers practice position-ship rather than leadership. They focus on constituency, the people they need the most and depend on, only caring about how they are viewed by the leaders above them, thereby following position-ship.

- Curt Coffman

Practice, Depend, Rather, Managers

A great manager is someone who says, 'You come to work with me, and I'll help you be as successful as possible; I'll help you grow. I'll help you make sure you're in the right role; I'll provide the relationship for you to understand and know yourself. And I want you to be more successful than me.'

- Curt Coffman

Know Yourself, Role, Than, I Want You

The manager sets a tone for that work group. The average-to-mediocre manager can set a very destructive tone, too.

- Curt Coffman

Manager, Very, Set, Destructive

My description of a bad manager is, 'Be good, but don't be better than me.'

- Curt Coffman

Better, Bad, Than, Manager

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