There's no doubt about it: the past year or so has been a lean time for most companies. And while there's hope that the worst (economically speaking) might be behind us, we aren't out of the woods yet. The dark days of the recession have spawned a troubling new issue, one that could cripple organizations even as we head into recovery. The looming problem? A widespread loss of employee engagement.

"Even if companies haven't literally lost their employees, many have lost them psychologically," warns Jon Gordon, speaker, consultant, and author of the new book The Shark and the Goldfish: Positive Ways to Thrive During Waves of Change. "Too many Americans are beaten down, burned out, and completely de-motivated. And if leaders don't strive to change that-to create a positive culture that energizes people-there will be dire consequences."

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