A mere 21 percent of workers are engaged in their jobs according to a study last year by Towers Watson. No doubt the heavier workload and longer hours workers have had to take on a result of the recession have done their fair share of the damage. That's why now is the time for employers to start engaging their work forces. Why inspire? Today's employees want to believe that their work is making a difference in the world.

Holly Green, a workplace management expert, consultant and author of More Than a Minute: How to Be an Effective Leader and Manager in Today's Changing World, offers seven steps to inspire your employees.

1. Share a compelling vision of what tomorrow looks like. Communicate how that vision will make the world a better place and improve your employees' lives.
2. Explain what's in it for them. Why should your employees aspire to achieve the goals of the organization? How do their goals align with those of the organization?
3. Share your own story. Talk about why you believe the destination is compelling, and what it is about where the company is going that inspires you. After all, why would your employees care about the mission of the company if their own manager doesn't?
4. Communicate with enthusiasm and passion. Again, if you don't appear to care, your employees won't care, either. That enthusiasm and passion will help carry you through even when faced with barriers or obstacles.
5. Solicit employee input. Ask your employees what the vision means to them. Let them provide their own take on the vision—and how they see themselves contributing to it—and then share their responses via multiple channels.
6. Share positive customer feedback. This customer can be internal or external. These testimonials will prove to your employees that their work is affecting real people. Give them reasons to feel good about what the company does.
7. Celebrate achievement of milestones. Keep your employees motivated by recognizing their progress and success along the way to your goals.

The ultimate goal here is communication: Start the conversation about what the mission and goals mean to your employees individually. The more they focus on these areas, the more likely you are to get buy-in and alignment. You should strongly consider empowering your team to be leaders and put to use good skills they can use to inspire their co-workers.

Empowerment is the oil that lubricates the exercise of learning. Talented and empowered human capital is becoming the prime ingredient of organizational success. A critical feature of successful teams, especially in knowledge-based enterprises, is that they are invested with a significant degree of empowerment, or decision-making authority, according to Ten3 Business e-Coach.

Equally important, employee empowerment changes the managers' mindset and leaves them with more time to engage in broad-based thinking, visioning and nurturing. This intelligent and productive division of duties between visionary leaders, focusing on emerging opportunities, and empowered employees, running the business unit day-to-day (with oversight on the leader's part) provides for a well-managed enterprise with strong growth potential.

Inspiring your employees to be better at their jobs can create a new culture of success at your company. Your workers have the opportunity to accomplish more and achieve a greater degree of success at the tasks to which they are assigned. In essence, they get better at what they do, and are proud of it. Everyone can use an "attaboy" once in a while, especially when it's a job well done.

Raising the level of greatness is your job as a leader. Make sure the talents that have been entrusted to you are not wasted. That includes those who look to you for guidance, direction, and leadership. It's not just a paycheck—it's a life and a lifestyle.