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State HR presenter Rick Murdoch urges supervisors to build a 'base camp' culture to boost engagement
Summary
At a March 25 statewide HR webinar, Rick Murdoch of the Leadership and Organizational Development team advised supervisors to create a "base camp"—a psychologically safe, structured environment—to increase employee engagement, trust and performance using six 'talent magnets' and practical exercises.
Rick Murdoch, a presenter with the Leadership and Organizational Development (LOD) team in the Division of Human Resources Management, told a statewide audience on March 25 that supervisors should intentionally build a "base camp" culture to increase employee engagement and performance. He framed the base camp as a secure environment that allows employees to acclimate, learn, and take calculated risks.
Murdoch pointed to research and industry studies to explain why engagement matters, saying organizations in the top engagement quartile show substantially better outcomes — including “81% less absenteeism” — and that higher engagement can save taxpayer dollars by reducing turnover, accidents and defects. He also summarized a Harvard Business Review analysis that found personal relationships often matter more for trust than consistency or judgment.
The presenter outlined six practical "talent magnets" supervisors can use: purpose (help employees see why their work matters), opportunity (provide learning and decision-making chances), success (identify recent wins), appreciation (recognize achievements so staff feel valued), well‑being (support emotional and physical safety), and mentoring/coaching. He asked participants to draft a two-sentence team purpose and list development opportunities for one or two team members as a simple, actionable culture plan.
Murdoch described a four-step observational learning progression for cautious learners: watch an expert, practice with mentor feedback, perform independently, and teach others to cement skills. He tied learning to psychological safety and accountability, advising leaders to remove bottlenecks, set hard deadlines with public check-ins, and delegate decision authority through micro‑projects to convert apathy into ownership.
On risk-taking, Murdoch offered a concise definition: "A calculated risk is a deliberate move made by an employee who feels safe enough to fail but informed enough to succeed," and argued that leaders’ role is to provide the secure base from which employees can experiment without jeopardizing reputation or livelihood.
Murdoch identified LOD contact channels (the LOD website and a program email) and promoted two offerings: the LEAD (Leadership Excellence and Development) live-session series and short "Fast Track to Leadership" videos available on LOD’s YouTube and Instagram. He also noted the next webinar in the series, a customer‑experience presentation by JJ Aker scheduled for April 29, 2026, at 10 a.m., and asked attendees to sign up via chat link or statewide email.
Murdoch closed with a reminder that small, consistent leadership practices — clarifying purpose, offering opportunities, recognizing success and building trust — create the cultural "base camp" that enables teams to take purposeful risks and achieve higher performance.
