Benjamin Franklin had it mostly right - for all the talk about employee engagement "secret sauce", we see time and again that involvement is a key ingredient.

I'd only add that when you involve ME, WE all have a chance to benefit.

I was on a call with a TemboSocial customer this week that has take the notion of developing secret sauce to the next level by convening a select group of employee Champions & Ambassadors to an invitation-only innovation hub they've dubbed The LAB (Leadership Advisory Board).

This leading mutual fund company has wisely tapped these employees to share their knowledge, insight and ideas on a variety of product, process and marketing areas.

The program has been designed to incubate great ideas and bulletproof them before they're offered to customers.

It's also given brokers a voice in guiding the direction of the organization.

Rather than turning on a suggestion box feature on the intranet, the business is tapping into the collective wisdom of their employees to solve real problems and leverage real opportunities.

Case Study: BMO Digital Leadership

Recognizing the need for creating excitement and engagement around digital leadership, BMO took the innovative step of letting their employees set the agenda.

Designed to get employees thinking about ways they can help stay ahead of the digital curve, the Digital Leader campaign kicked off with an ideation session using the collaboration platform TemboSocial Ideas.

What sets the Digital Leadership campaign apart from communications initiatives at other companies is the extent to which the leadership at BMO involved employees as co-creators.