The Inspiration Gap

There seems to be widening gap today between leadership ambition and employee inspiration. It’s the type of inspiration historically necessary to get organizations moving in the same direction, with talented and motivated employees bringing the benefit of multiple business cycles to their jobs. These employees tended to stick around, buy-in and share the longer view and vision of their organization’s leadership. That’s not to say that everyone blindly marched in line, but rather, that there was good reason to “look long,” in the way folks aligned with the vision of where they worked as well as what that longevity could mean for their career, and their lives.

Amidst the “Great Resignation,” “quiet quitting,” and other cool yet disturbing newer terms, 2023, according to Korn Ferry, could see a “mass exodus of midlevel managers fleeing responsibilities that have only compounded since the pandemic. ” A recent article notes this dynamic across industry segments and asks whether leaders are providing their midlevel people everything they need for the times we’re in.

I had seen this first hand during the pandemic, when as leaders, we asked, again and again, for people to let us know what they needed…a close cousin at the time for the well-meaning (but somewhat hollow) “make sure you’re taking care of yourself.” Like most dynamic, fast-moving organizations in troubled times, we deeply meant well and were doing the best we could with what we knew, and what we had to work with.

A couple years on, however, the urgency may be even greater for organizations to mind their people, and mind this growing inspiration gap.

We can expect more change as these incredibly valuable people seek direction, security and greater purpose in their careers and most certainly in their lives. And, for good reason. According to the same Korn Ferry article, “During the pandemic, it was middle managers who were tasked with keeping productivity up while everyone worked remotely. Subsequently, midlevel managers were overwhelmed trying to replace employees who left during the Great Resignation; the fewer jobs they succeeded in filling, the more slack they themselves had to pick up. Now, experts say, firms that have been forced to consider layoffs in this tough economy are targeting this very same group.”

What does this really mean for leadership teams and individual leaders? For one, leaders will have to be far higher-touch than before in making sure that their teams are working at the intersection of their greatest strengths and their purpose (again, in work and in life).

A few questions to ask of ourselves as leaders, and yes, with a heartfelt plug for meaningful leadership coaching to help get us there:

Are we really listening to what our teams are saying about the demands on them and the abilities to get their jobs done? Have we noted how this has changed in the past six months, or nine months?

Are we putting in the extra work to make sure our people are utilizing their greatest strengths on stuff that gives them the greatest sense of purpose and satisfaction? Assessments like Strengths Profile can be powerful for unlocking insights here and pathing people towards their most productive, fulfilled selves.

Are we managing to what we think is right based on what was right, instead what should be right for today?

The challenges for leadership in 2023 will go well beyond determining the right in-office versus hybrid schedule or deciding where people can or can’t live. We have to start by truly understanding what our teams need and where their interests and strengths lie…which could be quite different than where they were just a few short (and incredibly long!) year’s back.

If you’d like to make sure your leadership is prepared for the journey ahead, please reach out, or share your comments. I’d love to know how others see the greatest challenges to keeping our teams engaged and inspired during these really challenging times.