How We Can Use PM Carney's Davos Speech to Rally Employees
Written by Dr. Dave Whiteside & Bailey Kennedy
It isn’t often our nation comes together following a Prime Minister address - certainly not like we saw yesterday following Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Davos speech.
“If we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.”
This speech will go down in history. It has already received praise from both sides of the political spectrum. It was a strong call to action to get people to stand up and do the right thing. He didn’t ask people to go and fight a war, he asked them to pay attention, and stand up for our nation and the other countries who were sitting idly while allowing louder forces to lead the way.
If you own a business or manage a large team, this is a great opportunity to use his example to inspire your team to be true promoters of your organization. We often slip into patterns and habits that are easy and familiar, ignoring small shifts and often the whole point. Because that’s just the way things are.
“We participated in the rituals, and we largely avoided calling out the gaps between rhetoric and reality.”
PM Carney challenged us yesterday to do things differently, to stop turning a blind eye to the way things are, and ask ourselves: what can we do to make a difference? And you know what? People responded and were inspired. He is one of three who has ever received a standing ovation at Davos.
We all have seen it in our workplaces. New employees come in eager and excited for a new opportunity, but over time, they lose motivation for a number of reasons. This can actually be measured, organizations can use what’s called an Employee Net Promoter Score to gauge where their team is at. It is a simple but powerful measure of how your team feels about their work and organization.
Employees then fall into three buckets:
Promoters: Loyal, engaged, and likely to sing your praises.
Passives: Content, but not brand ambassadors.
Detractors: Disengaged, and likely vocal about it.
Most organizations focus on the extremes: aiming to celebrate and keep their Promoters happy, while raising the alarm and trying to fix the experience of their Detractors. The rationale makes sense - Promoters are the enthusiastic employees who buoy a culture and Detractors are the disengaged who threaten it.
But here's the thing: The Passives - the often forgotten group in the middle - hold the key to shifting much of your culture.
How? The Passives are "ordinary people", but when they start to care a little more and talk a little louder, it makes other people wonder what all the excitement is about?
In the workplace, this means that your loudest and most enthusiastic advocates - your corporate cheerleaders - don't feel credible to your Detractors. They feel "too positive" and "out of touch".
This is why it's hard to generate momentum when the Promoters are the only ones cheering... But when the Passives start to lean in? That's when Detractors start to pay attention.
Detractors aren't just more disengaged at work - they're more cynical about it too. In fact, our data suggests that Detractors are 3.5x more cynical about their work than Promoters.
Why does this matter?
Cynicism is powerful. It dulls our curiosity and it filters how we interpret enthusiasm - from something that inspires us to something that makes us roll our eyes. It can make excitement feel inauthentic.
It's easy to tune out the cheerleaders. But when the average person starts caring and tuning in, you start asking: "What am I missing here?"
And that's what PM Carney did yesterday, he made the Passives perk up, and get excited. And it's a strategy you can employ in the workplace, today.
Where can you start?
At YMCA WorkWell, we often tell leaders to pay close attention to their Passives for two reasons:
They're an easier needle to move. I understand the pull of focusing on the Detractors - they're loud, visible, and their scores immediately sound the alarm. They also take significant effort and resources to address. Passives, on the other hand, are like a half-finished puzzle. The outline’s already there; they just need a few missing pieces - maybe some extra clarity and recognition - to become fully engaged Promoters. It's about fine-tuning and optimizing, instead of rebuilding.
Your Passives are the ones who influence the Detractors. Remember when I said that your Detractors likely won't pay much attention to your Promoters? Well guess what - their cynicism means they won't pay much attention to your initiatives either - no matter how well intentioned they are. But they're more likely to listen to the Passives who are just starting to see the light. Their credibility bridges the gap.
The Quick Takeaway
Your Promoters are vital. But they aren't going to shift your culture alone - especially when cynicism is high.
So if you really want to move your eNPS (Employee Net Promoter Score), start by energizing your Passives. They’re your bridge, your momentum. They’re the ones who will make your Detractors start to look up and say, “Maybe I should pay attention.”
Because in the workplace - just like on an international level- it’s the quiet middle that can turn a spark into a movement.
Want to learn more about how Insights Reports can help you act on your own eNPS?
Check out the Insights Page and always feel free to reach out at dave.whiteside@ytr.ymca.ca if you'd like to learn more. We're always happy to help you turn Insights into Action.