Re-humanizing Leadership
4 Steps to Foster Employee Engagement
and Innovation
Leaders everywhere are panicked about the future of their workforce. As of July 2024, Gallup reported that over 50% of workers are looking for a new job. The looming feeling that disengagement, high turnover, and constant attrition have become the norm, can make daily life for managers and executives much more stressful and complex.
In response, I often hear two narratives: one, that disengagement stems from the remote work introduced during the pandemic, and the solution is to force everyone back to the office. The second is that disengagement is generational, and millennials (now entering their 40s, by the way) and Gen Z simply don’t care to work. I call BS on both counts.
What’s really changed is our expectation of authenticity, our demand for a meaningful mission, and our intolerance for inefficient and disrespectful work cultures.
When it comes to authenticity, Brené Brown hit the nail on the head: “The secret killer of innovation is shame. You can’t measure it, but it’s there. Every time someone holds back on a new idea, fails to give their manager feedback, or is afraid to speak up in front of a client, you can be sure shame played a part.”
Leaders, listen carefully. Shame breeds fear, fear leads to risk aversion, and risk aversion kills innovation. If you want teams to thrive, you have to start by creating environments where vulnerability is not just accepted but encouraged. The outdated belief that leaders must have all the answers and “be in charge” is not only wrong, it’s destructive. It creates a sense of inferiority in team members, pushing them to hold back, and that’s a fast track to disengagement.
Unfortunately, much of this stems from how many of us were conditioned. School systems taught us to prepare for the test, to perform under constant evaluation. This culture of quizzes and assessments has infiltrated the workplace, where job interviews stretch into five rounds, complete with assignments, personality tests, and endless quizzing.
As a leader in both fast-paced start ups and bureaucratic government agencies, I’ve seen this play out first hand. My teams were often hesitant to speak up in meetings, especially junior employees. I’d look at a room of talented individuals and realize they were holding back, even when the stakes seemed low. I’d start meetings by reminding them, “There’s no quiz here. You’re not being graded.” The best results came when I framed the meeting as a collaborative problem-solving session, where none of us had the answers, but together, we would create solutions.
This approach shifted the focus from being “right” to learning and exploring ideas as a team. After all, the whole purpose of having a team is to get better results together than you would on your own. But with all the conditioning around leadership and safety at work, leaders need to proactively disrupt these patterns by leading with authenticity, vulnerability, and wholehearted confidence.
Meditation teacher Fleur Chambers describes wholehearted confidence as “our capacity to befriend our insecurities, grow through our challenges, live from our values, feel at ease amidst uncertainty and believe in our capacity to create change.” This is a tall order, but an excellent guidepost for you as a mission-driven leader to come back to each day as you prepare to lead.
I also think of wholehearted confidence as showing up as your full self—not just the polished parts but the doubts, fears, and uncertainties, too. One of my favorite examples of this was a professor I had in college. He was internationally respected, tenured, and revered by his students and peers. Despite all his accomplishments, he would regularly respond to student’s questions in large echoing lecture halls by saying, “I don’t know,” with a smile and a scratch of his head. This vulnerability made everyone in the room feel safe to admit when they didn’t know something too, which opened the door for real learning and growth.
As leaders, we need to model this kind of openness. Be confident in your mission, but acknowledge that you don’t have all the answers. That’s why you hired a great team. Actively seek their feedback and encourage experimentation. Create a culture where it’s okay to try, fail, and learn.
I understand that it can feel uncomfortable to stand in front of a team and be vulnerable. It’s much easier to put on a tough persona and stick to the script. But if you’re a mission-driven or visionary leader who wants to cultivate a thriving team, you have to step into the discomfort. Connect authentically, be curious, and remind yourself and others that you’re all on the same team, working toward the same goals—not preparing for a quiz.
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Foundations For Impactful Leadership
To summarize, here are the 4 steps mission-driven leaders need to cultivate engagement and innovation on their team:
1. Challenge the Outdated Narratives
Leaders must stop blaming disengagement on remote work or generational differences. Instead, recognize that the workforce is calling for authenticity, meaningful work, and more respectful ways of working.
2. Foster Vulnerability to Combat Fear and Risk Aversion
Leaders must embrace vulnerability themselves and cultivate it within their teams to create an open, trusting environment.
3. Protect Your Team Culture as a Learning Space, Not a Test
Move away from the conditioning that work is about being “right” or passing a test. Shift meetings and interactions to focus on collective problem-solving, emphasizing learning and exploration over evaluation.
4. Model Wholehearted Confidence
Demonstrate confidence by showing up as your full self, including the uncertainties. Leaders should openly admit when they don’t have all the answers, making it safe for others to do the same, thus fostering a culture of curiosity, trust, and innovation.
Let yourself be seen. Let others be seen. And together, you can move forward with authenticity, vulnerability, and wholehearted confidence. You’ve got this, but if you could use additional support or guidance on your whole-hearted leadership journey, grab 30 minutes with me for a free consultation.
