“What are the economics of engagement?” asks Cheryl Alexander. She means engaged employees, and by focusing on a key business issue for corporations she demonstrates her agility as a small-business owner.

She runs Cheryl Alexander & Associates, a leadership development training firm and one of this year’s Upsize Growth Challenge winners. It’s 40 years old, but she continues to reinvent her services to meet the latest needs of her clientele.

Right now, that’s engagement of employees, or more to the point the lack thereof. “Disengagement of employees is at its highest levels, according to the latest research from Gallup,” she says. “Eighty-one percent say they’ll leave their company when the next position becomes available.”

Alexander is re-branding her firm to emphasize its expertise in helping corporations engage employees. She’s even coined a new phrase—“iron-orchid leadership”—and will roll out a new training program on the topic. She believes the phrase acknowledges the need for both the yin and yang, the facts and the emotions, to succeed in business.

“We’ve got to be strong, and we’re living beings. It’s tough and tender,” she says. “That’s what it takes to deal with all the complexity of the challenges in business today.”

Deb DuBois, marketing director at Winthrop & Weinstine and the Upsize Growth Challenge marketing expert, praises Alexander’s efforts as smart and right on trend. She encourages all owners to hone their key messages, then use Twitter, LinkedIn, their website and more to establish themselves as thought leaders in their fields.

Bridget Manahan, with Western Bank and the UGC finance expert, concurs with Alexander’s approach. “As an executive in a company, this whole need to address engagement hits it right between the eyes right now.”

A question for business owners: Are your services staying ahead of the hot issues facing your clients?