The real reason your team’s stuck isn’t what you think
Your Team’s Not Lazy—They’re Disconnected
A few weeks ago, I heard a frustrated friend and higher-ed leader say, “I don’t know what happened, Joel! My team just doesn’t seem to care anymore.”
But the more we talked, the less it sounded like a motivation problem, and the more it looked like a connection problem.
From what I knew about his company, I suspected that there wasn’t a clear sense of why their work mattered right now. Priorities had shifted, but communication hadn’t kept up. People weren’t resisting effort. They were reacting to confusion.
You know, experience has taught me…
Most leadership breakdowns aren’t about laziness, they’re about misalignment.
Disconnection is louder than disengagement.
When people feel connected to purpose, to each other, to clear priorities,
they show up.
But when those connections break down? Even high performers start to drift.
And here’s what makes it tricky: Disconnection often looks like apathy. But it’s actually disorientation, and may actually be your fault! I know at times is was mine.
My team was not coasting. They’re unsure what matters, and that falls on me.
The Stat That Should Wake Us Up
Only 32% of U.S. employees feel connected to their company’s mission, according to Gallup. That’s down from 41% just over a decade ago.
That’s not a laziness problem. That’s a signal. How do you know your team is disconnected?
3 Signs Your Team’s Disconnected (And actually not Lazy):
Energy drops after meetings.
Not from overwork, from unclear direction.Work becomes reactive.
People stop planning proactively and just respond to what’s loudest.Decisions get delayed.
It’s not indecision, it’s a lack of shared clarity on what matters most.
What to Do Instead: Run a Connection Reset
Next time your team feels off, don’t default to a new system or another offsite.
Start with this:
Ask: “What feels clear right now, and what feels fuzzy?”
Remind: “Here’s why this matters now, not just what we’re doing.”
Simplify: “If we could only nail three things this quarter, it’d be these…”
You’ll be amazed how quickly energy returns when clarity is restored.
Have you ever seen these issues with yourself? Your team? I’d love to know what you did to solve them!