Earlier this year, I started working with a mid-sized consulting firm, after their Head of People reached out. Their situation was all too familiar: Even with a solid external brand, they were struggling to attract senior consultants. Exit interviews and survey comments pointed to something deeper than benefits or branding. Employees felt disconnected from leadership and uncertain about their growth path.

What really struck me on my first day of discovery meetings was the sense of untapped energy. In a conversation over coffee with one consultant, she told me, “I love the work, but I don’t always see how my input matters to the bigger picture.” Leadership knew they needed to turn that around, so we partnered up to make engagement their priority—not just a HR initiative on the side.

Together, we started small and real:

The Managing Director held “Ask Me Anything” coffee hours each month—nothing off-limits, sometimes just three people, sometimes twenty.

Managers began tailored 1:1s with each team member, focusing on personal growth stories as much as project updates.

We introduced peer-nominated shoutouts at staff meetings, where stories of impact—like a consultant solving a tricky client issue under pressure—were shared in the consultant’s own words.

After six months, the changes were visible:

Internal referrals for new roles jumped by over a third; people started actively recommending friends who “should be part of this turnaround.”

Our average time-to-fill for specialist roles dropped by almost a week.

In interviews, nearly half of all candidates mentioned our open forums or those staff stories as factors that made them want to join.

Personally, my favorite moment was seeing the regional practice lead—usually reserved—give a shoutout to her entire team in a staff call: “You all make me proud to be here.” It was honest, spontaneous, and it stuck. Since then, engagement scores have climbed steadily, and so have our client retention rates.

Engagement isn’t a silver bullet, but for Acumen Partners, treating it as a business lever—and putting real faces and stories behind it—made all the difference.

Invitation:Have you tried something new to boost engagement? What’s worked (or not) in your teams? Share below, or tag a leader who inspires you—let’s swap stories and solutions.