The workplace is changing faster than most leaders can keep up with. Were seeing changing expectations around work-life balance, the rise of burnout, and the prevalence of economic pressures leading to the rise of generative AI. This leaves little time to adapt, let alone rethink how we engage and inspire our teams. This shift has impacted the workforce. According to the latest Glassdoor Worklife Trends 2025 Report, 65% of employees feel stuck in their current jobs.
But when it comes to managing and motivating people, some things never change. Employees want to feel valued, supported, and integral to something bigger. Trust, human connection, and purpose remain key to any companys success, no matter how fast technology evolves or how much the workplace shifts.
Fostering these values requires more from management than just hiring the best people. Its about creating an environment where workers thrive. This means they take ownership, contribute ideas, and collaborate. While strong leadership is vital for setting the companys vision and strategy, real energy and innovation emerge when those ideas come from the workforce.
Employees who align with the companys broader goals drive innovation in ways that no algorithm or technology can replicate. Fostering a culture that explicitly values and empowers staff leads to creativity and allows companies to tap into the true potential of their workforce. This approach invites employees on every level to emerge as leaders and innovators.
The great detachment from momentum
Were witnessing a massive evolution in the workplace. When Amazon announced its return-to-office policy for 2025, the backlash was swift and unsurprising. Weve all seen this coming.
Employees have found new ways to create an impact that doesnt fit the traditional office-bound, 9-to-5 mold. Gen Z is poised to outnumber baby boomers. And the impact will go beyond their numbersmany of them have a different way of working and what they expect from the workplace compared to previous generations. They grew up during the pandemic when remote learning and hybrid environments became the norm. Gen Z employees are comfortable contributing in flexible, nontraditional waysworking in bursts of focus or sending deliverables at midnight. For them, the emphasis isnt on showing up to the office but on the impact of their efforts.
However, a recent Gallup poll indicates an alarming trend of employee detachment, particularly among those under 35. This raises a critical question: Is your company still focused on activity? Are you measuring for actual impact?
RTO mandates alone wont change the culture or drive performance. Real progress happens when we trust our employees to experiment, share, and make meaningful contributions. Empowering staff from the bottom up means prioritizing outcomes that create value and drive our businesses forward.
Businesses can no longer rely on traditional productivity. Continuing to think in outdated ways will not position companies to keep pace with competitors with a workforce that is more flexible, innovative, and thriving. As leaders, we must create space for impact and let go of outdated performance metrics that hold us back.
Listen to your experts
Leaders have the power to set the tone. Consider asking yourself,what do you need to learn or unlearn, and who can teach you this? Remember that its not your job to know everything. Thats what experts are for. Lean on them, trust them, and empower them. Elevate viewpoints from employees at all levels and champion their wisdom.
Nurture a learning environment where you welcome candid conversations, and employees can exchange ideas without fear of judgment, blame, or backlash. Promote teamwork and collaboration. This requires removing obstacles and providing opportunities for talent that break down organizational silos and give life to new ideas.
Create a collective spark
Collaboration fuels creativity and impact. Leaders can foster this by creating space for employees to share ideas through brainstorms or reverse mentoring programs. They also need to find ways to empower employees to tackle challenges to encourage trust, innovation, and fresh thinking. These moments of connection and cocreation spark momentum that drives meaningful engagement and impact.
The questions you ask shape the culture you create. Ask yourself, What steps can you take to empower leaders and employees to foster a sense of community? Who speaks freely, and who remains silent? Who receives credit, and who gets overlooked? Which employees get to create culture, rather than just to follow it?
Create an environment where employees can influence processes. Encourage open conversations and employee input to simplify processes and make improvements that truly work for the team. This allows employees to sharpen their critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills while contributing to meaningful outcomes.
Create an empathetic culture
Today’s employees are overloaded with information, juggling constant communication, evolving expectations, and endless demands. Leading with empathy is essential to fostering an environment that truly supports employees. A high say/do ratiowhere you consistently align your actions with promisesis critical to building trust and modeling the behavior you want to see.
Your organizations culture is its most significant competitive edge. It can drive or hinder exceptional results, inspire a willingness to learn or a fear of failure, promote teams poised for problem-solving or riddled with distrust and toxicity, and encourage inclusivity or exclusion.
Effective leadership isn’t about perfection; its about being present, intentional, and empathetic. When leaders intentionally tend to culture, they demonstrate to their employees what matters and is possible.
