The Story (adapted from In Pursuit of Loneliness by Philip Slater): Once upon a time (don’t all good stories begin this way?), a strong, capable man sought escape from the bustle and din surrounding him. He found refuge deep in a forest that was beautiful and rich with wood, game, water, and fertile soil. It was peaceful. Clean. The smell was fresh and pure. It was perfect. And it was all his to use as he wished.

Winter proved to be frigid and the trees surrounding the hut made excellent firewood. But without the trees to shade his shelter, the man was under relentless heat when summer arrived. He complained bitterly.

One year and nearly two months ago on August 1, 2015, one of the great thinkers and communicators in organizational leadership passed away. Jerry Harvey was a Professor Emeritus of Management at the George Washington University. He had served as a consultant to multiple industrial, governmental, religious, military, educational, and charitable organizations and authored approximately 50 professional articles and two books.

The most meaningful way to pay tribute to Harvey’s intellectual prowess, witty sense-of-humor, and inimitable perspective is to spend a few moments of quiet thought on his legendary contributions. Harvey was an extraordinary thinker and thought provoker. He had a sense of turning a dogmatic phrase or idea on its head.

In the last post, Holacracy Part I, of this two-part series, we explored the difference between engagement, performance and reaching one’s highest potential. Specifically, how Teal Organizations and Holacracy solve the engagement crisis through self-led management.

Now it’s time to shift the focus to you. Your journey to reaching your highest potential or that of your organization depends on the questions you’re asking. But it also depends on your tool kit.

Engagement or Performance?

The business community is concerned. Since the year 2000, Gallup has tracked employee engagement and has found that less than one-third of U.S. employees have been engaged in their jobs and workplaces during the last 15 years. Expand that to global measurements and the numbers drop to less than 10 percent.*

My consulting practice backs up Gallup’s reports. We asked individuals in leadership roles this question: What would a virtuoso in their role be doing for your company on a daily basis? The answer? Collectively, employees spend less than 10 percent of their time on the functions and activities that emphasize their level of genius and skilled talents.