The Engagement Crisis: Why Self-Leadership Matters More Than Ever

Take a quick look at your team. Look at their faces during your next meeting, scan their body language, and notice their energy levels.

What do you see? What do you feel?

Let me share something that might explain what you're observing: Only 31% of U.S. employees are engaged at work – the lowest in a decade. Let that sink in. That's a lot. Imagine you're coaching a basketball team where only two players are actually trying to win the game, while two are checking their phones, and one is actively trying to score for the other team. Not exactly a recipe for championship performance, right?

And yet, that's exactly what's happening in workplaces across America. The latest Gallup numbers confirm what many leaders have been feeling in their gut: we're not just dealing with a post-pandemic slump – we're facing a full-blown engagement crisis.

Link to Gallup Article


The Elephant in the Room

As an executive wellness & leadership coach, I've seen this movie before. Leaders come to me for various reasons – some want to improve their physical health and energy, others are wrestling with stress management, navigating challenging relationships, or battling imposter syndrome. My approach, which I call Wellbeingness® (think wellness plus wellbeing), addresses both the physical side (health, energy, and performance) and the mental-emotional dimension. Because here's the truth: when leaders aren't operating at their best – physically, mentally, and emotionally – their teams feel it. And no engagement program in the world can make up for leaders who are running on empty.

The data shows dramatic drops in three critical areas:

  • Understanding what's expected at work (down 10 points since 2020)
  • Feeling cared about as a person (down 8 points)
  • Having someone encourage development (down 6 points)

Reading these numbers, I couldn't help but think about my clients' journeys. When someone starts their wellness journey, they often think it's all about the workout plan or diet. But just like you can't build muscle by reading about dumbbells, you can't build engagement by merely talking about it.


The Self-Leadership Connection

Here's what fascinates me: Whether we're trying to improve our health or lead a team, the core challenge is the same – consistency in the small things that matter. Just as sustainable health isn't built in a weekend warrior session but in daily choices, great leadership isn't created in a one-off workshop but in moment-to-moment decisions.

Think about it: How can we create clarity for others when our own minds are cluttered with stress? How can we genuinely care for our teams if we're running on empty? How can we develop others if we're not committed to our own growth?

This is why I'm thrilled about my upcoming interview with Dr. Michael Frisina, author of "Leading with Your Upper Brain." His work brilliantly connects the dots between personal mastery and organizational effectiveness. (And trust me, it's not just about doing more brain crunches!)


The Path Forward

Just as I learned that sustainable health transformation requires more than just counting calories – it requires managing our minds and emotions – effective leadership requires more than just managing tasks and targets.

The solution isn't another engagement survey or another round of team-building exercises (though I do love a good trust fall). It starts with leaders who:

  • Become Chief Energy Officers of their own lives first (because you can't pour green juice from an empty blender). Just like tracking your sleep cycles, start tracking your energy peaks and engagement valleys. When you understand your own rhythms, you can finally stop trying to motivate others while running on fumes yourself.
  • Master the art of "productive presence" (because nodding while checking Slack isn't actually listening). Think of it like interval training – short bursts of intense, focused attention beat long stretches of distracted availability every time. One real conversation beats ten "quick check-ins."
  • Turn growth into a team sport (because learning in isolation is like doing burpees in your basement – effective but lonely). Share your own "leadership fumbles" openly, celebrate progress over perfection, and turn every challenge into a group learning lab.

Here's what these principles look like in action:

  1. Master Your Energy Management
    • Start with a 5-minute morning check-in: Rate your energy, emotions, and priorities.
    • Identify your top three energy drains and create boundaries around them
    • Schedule your most important leadership activities during your peak energy hours. The ROI: Leaders who manage their energy effectively report 40% better team performance and 50% higher engagement scores. 
  2. Build Real Connection Rituals
    • Replace one status update meeting with three 10-minute individual check-ins.
    • Practice the "3-second rule": Wait three seconds before responding to show you're truly listening.
    • Create "no-agenda" spaces where team members can share challenges and wins. The ROI: Teams with strong connection rituals show 65% higher retention and 45% more innovation.
  3. Lead with Intentional Growth
    • Share one learning from your own mistakes each week
    • Invest 15 minutes daily in your own development before asking it of others
    • Create "growth spotlights" where team members teach their best practices. The ROI: Leaders who model continuous learning see 3x higher engagement from their teams.

Remember: Just like you can't out-train a poor diet, you can't out-program poor leadership habits. These aren't just nice-to-have practices – they're the fundamental moves that separate high-performing teams from the rest.


Your Next Step

If these engagement numbers hit close to home, if you're feeling like you're running on a leadership treadmill – lots of motion but no real progress – I invite you to join me for a transformative conversation with Dr. Michael Frisina. We'll dive deep into:

  • The neuroscience of effective leadership (no lab coat required)
  • Practical strategies for elevating your leadership presence
  • How self-leadership directly impacts team engagement
  • The profound connection between personal wellness and leadership effectiveness

👉 Reserve your spot for this exclusive interview.

Let's move beyond the statistics and start creating workplaces where engagement isn't just a metric – it's a natural outcome of authentic, self-aware leadership.

Just like health, leadership isn't about quick fixes; it's about sustainable, consistent practices that transform how we show up for ourselves and others.

Create a healthy day!

~traci

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