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Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite
What do a flaming wallet, a seven-year-old transfixed by Van Gogh, and a Diet Coke geyser have in common? For Steve Spangler, it is a science teacher, a magician's son, and a twenty-seven-time Ellen guest. They are all proof that engagement can only be cultivated, not commanded. In his book The Engagement Effect, he argues that leaders create shared experiences, the shared experiences create real connections, and real connections nurture engagement. This book is structured in three acts: creating experiences, inspiring connection, and building engagement, and the author shows readers how to do this with many examples. The book follows the author’s journey from his parents’ magic shows to viral YouTube fame, exposing how leadership is “building capacity in another person.” The book helps readers understand the secret ingredient behind the author’s success: it is never about you; it is about them. So, engagement is a gift people give freely and not a behavior a leader can deliberately extract.
The Engagement Effect is an eye-opening book in many ways, with themes that orbit around a leadership stripped of ego. The author argues that you have to trust people enough to take your hands off the wheel, remember that connection is two-way, or you’re just a performer, and be more interested in people than just being interesting. His lessons are delivered as sticky aphorisms, such as “if it gets to the dinner table, you win.” He explains that activities don’t get to the dinner table, but experiences do, and that transactions don’t get to the dinner table, but transformation does. The wisdom in this book is delivered through engaging storytelling, and the stories are irresistible, like Mrs. Leikam's Styrofoam solar system that quietly launched a Mars rover engineer and Gabby's “best day ever.” Steve Spangler’s book has a message of love that speakers, teachers, managers, and parents should hear; the author convincingly shows that the principles of engagement are the same across the board.
