The core idea
Engagement is the difference between people showing up and people showing up with energy. The ABCD framework names four intrinsic motivators; the Yerkes-Dodson curve names the pressure range that releases them; the burnout triad names what collapses when you overshoot. Hold all three and you can diagnose a team's energy in a page. — after Hardy · Bain · Amabile
The hero diagram
The pressure-performance curve.
Yerkes-Dodson: performance peaks at moderate pressure. Below is boredom; above is burnout.
Frameworks in this module
Named ideas to remember.
How to apply
With one team member this month.
- Map them on ABCD. Which letter is thin? Autonomy, belonging, competence or direction?
- Check where they sit on Yerkes-Dodson. Bored? Peak? Drifting toward burnout?
- Engineer a visible win this week. Progress principle. Small, real, theirs.
- Protect against the burnout triad. If you see two of {exhaustion, cynicism, inefficacy}, act. Don't wait for the third.
Key reading · HBR · Amabile & Kramer
The progress principle.
Out of 12,000 diary entries from 238 people across 7 companies, the single strongest predictor of a good day at work was not recognition or pay — it was making progress on meaningful work. Small wins compound; small setbacks corrode.
Make the next step visible. Then make it possible.