Table of Contents
Why Are Employees “Quiet Quitting” in 2026 and How Can the 5 Lead Well Mindsets Stop It?
Struggling with employee retention? Discover Paula Davis’s Lead Well. Learn 5 proven mindsets to stop burnout, build resilience, and fix workplace culture in the age of AI. Ready to transform your team from ‘surviving’ to ‘thriving’? Read on to master the ‘Sticky Recognition’ technique and the ‘ABC Framework’ that can reverse disengagement in just minutes a day.
Genres
Communication Skills, Personal Development, Management, Leadership, Career Success
Introduction: Create a workplace culture that works.
Lead Well (2025) addresses the crisis of employee disengagement and burnout in our post-pandemic, AI-disrupted workplace by offering a research-backed leadership framework that transforms traditional management approaches. It introduces five transformative mindsets to help leaders build team cohesion, foster values alignment, manage workloads sustainably, and cultivate systemic resilience in the face of relentless change.
The ingredients for exceptional workplace culture remain timeless – resilience, values alignment, connection, and community still matter most. But the need to cultivate these elements has never been more urgent. Systemic stress, burnout, pandemic fallout, and the shift to AI now threaten workforce stability. Nearly 50 percent of US employees report experiencing burnout. And quiet quitting – doing the bare minimum rather than going above and beyond – continues to rise across industries.
So, what can leaders do? To begin with, organizations can no longer push well-being and culture to separate departments; these elements must become the foundation for everything. And it’s time to recognize that legacy leadership approaches, of the “We’ve always done it this way” variety, simply don’t always meet current needs.
In short, a mindset shift is needed. This summary walks you through five powerful ways to create a workplace culture that sustains and energizes employees at all levels.
Ready? Let’s dive right in.
The power of sticky
Let’s start with the first essential mindset shift: prioritizing sticky recognition and mattering. One of the biggest reasons employees disengage is that they don’t feel truly valued – by their managers or their organizations. It’s not enough to assume people know their contributions matter; leaders must make it clear, consistently and meaningfully.
Now, think about how recognition typically happens in organizations. We see annual company-wide awards. We hear positive comments during quarterly performance reviews. We participate in occasional team-building days. We might even receive bonuses or gifts. These are all fine, but they lack something essential – they’re not what you would call sticky.
Sticky recognition, on the other hand, shows people and teams clear evidence of their impact. It sticks with them and motivates them daily, not just during formal ceremonies. The best part? You can create moments of sticky recognition with just a minute or two of your time every day.
Think of it as thank you plus. In other words, don’t just say thanks. Add specific details describing the strengths and behaviors that led to great outcomes. Here’s an example: “Sarah, thank you for handling that client meeting yesterday. Your preparation was evident in how smoothly you addressed their concerns. The way you included team members in the discussion showed real leadership. The client specifically mentioned how confident they feel with you managing their account.”
This kind of sticky recognition builds what psychologists call mattering – a fundamental human need to know you make a difference in the world. Mattering combines feeling valued through appreciation and knowing that you add value through acknowledgment of your contributions.
Many people don’t experience a sense of mattering at work. This feeling intensified during the pandemic as remote working and social isolation became the norm. The need to matter became more important than ever before. And the research confirms this. Studies show that a sense of mattering reduces rates of burnout and absenteeism while it also significantly increases commitment and satisfaction among employees.
Implementing sticky recognition is straightforward. Notice and name team members’ strengths. Acknowledge their effort, not just results. Discuss mistakes as growth lessons together. Talk about growth potential and assign “stretch assignments” – tasks that push them slightly beyond their current abilities. These actions implicitly show team members they are valued.
Amplify ABC needs
If the first mindset is about making people feel valued, the second is about making work feel meaningful. A workplace that energizes employees isn’t just one that recognizes them – it’s one that meets their core psychological needs every day.
This brings us to the second mindset shift: Design work to meet core psychological needs. When employees have a sense of ownership, connection, and growth in their roles, they engage more deeply. Without these, motivation fades. That’s where the ABC framework – Autonomy, Belonging, and Challenge – comes in. These three elements shape how people experience their work, influencing everything from creativity to commitment. Let’s take a closer look.
Let’s start with A – Autonomy – the “choose your own adventure” element of work. Employees with autonomy feel they have influence over how their work story unfolds, both daily and long-term.
While there are many places you can start improving autonomy within your workplace, a great place to start is by providing context for team goals. When leaders share the reasoning behind priorities – such as customer data, market trends, or business metrics – it empowers teams to make informed decisions independently. Teams that understand the “why” behind their work often develop innovative solutions without needing step-by-step guidance. They can see the bigger picture and align their approach to achieve meaningful outcomes rather than just completing assigned tasks.
But autonomy alone isn’t enough. Even the most independent employees thrive best when they feel a strong sense of connection to their team. That brings us to the second element in the ABC framework – Belonging. Building community has become increasingly challenging, especially with today’s distributed workforces. The key is to leverage moments that matter throughout the employee journey. These moments might include team development opportunities three to four times yearly, or making the most of onboarding and training events.
As a manager, you can build on such teambuilding moments by also scheduling unstructured time in one-on-ones or implementing regular wellbeing check-ins. Instead of asking the overly broad “How are you doing?” try more focused questions like “What has your attention right now?” These targeted conversations open pathways to meaningful support and deeper workplace connections.
Belonging creates connection, but real engagement comes from growth. Employees need to be stretched – to take on challenges that push their skills and build confidence. Without this, work becomes stagnant, and motivation fades. That’s why C – challenge – is so important. According to Gallup’s 2023 State of Global Workforce survey, 41 percent of respondents considered their work repetitive without growth opportunities. Yet many executives hesitate to fund development programs, fearing uncertain returns if employees eventually leave. However, research consistently shows the opposite effect – organizations offering meaningful growth opportunities maintain significantly higher retention rates.
This investment extends beyond technical skills to building psychological capabilities. When teams progressively tackle more challenging work with appropriate guidance and feedback, they build confidence in their capabilities. This gradual skill development approach typically leads to fewer errors, reduced need for management intervention, and greater willingness to take on complex problems independently.
Create workload sustainability
The first mindset helps people feel valued; the second ensures work feels meaningful. The third mindset shift – Create workload sustainability – makes sure employees have the capacity to stay engaged long-term. Sustainable workloads prevent burnout, protect performance, and build resilience. Leaders who intentionally manage workload create workplaces where people don’t just perform – they thrive.
To make progress, we need to address the root causes of overload. Executives often suffer from impact blindness, losing track of the number and cumulative impact of initiatives in progress. This makes it difficult to identify which projects aren’t working or are ready to wind down. Senior leaders also have limited sightlines – they clearly see their own team’s projects but struggle to grasp the full scope of other groups’ work. Organizations frequently commit to initiatives that are under-resourced or implement band-aid fixes, both creating more work for teams. When team members leave, workloads are rarely adequately rebalanced.
So, what can you do?
Start by getting analytical. When do workloads typically spike, and how can schedules adjust to accommodate those surges? Are there overlooked technology solutions that could simplify processes and ease the burden? Some repetitive tasks might work better as templates or tutorials, reducing unnecessary effort. Could a self-access information repository help cut down on meetings and make essential details easier to find? Small, thoughtful changes like these can make a significant difference in workload sustainability.
However, it’s not just internal factors that drive workload surges – client expectations often play a major role. Balancing a service-focused mindset with sustainable practices is key. This is where frameworks like the Mindful Business Charter can be invaluable. Widely adopted by professional service firms, the Charter provides practical guidelines for client communications and internal operations. It emphasizes respect for rest periods, setting realistic deadlines, and considering the personal impact of work demands.
To further support sustainable workloads, organizations must also focus on building resilient teams. Investing time upfront in good teaming practices – such as creating a team charter – can save significant time and reduce stress long-term. A team charter is a collaborative document that defines how you’ll work together, clarifies roles, establishes communication norms, and sets boundaries around availability. Cross-training team members is another practice that pays dividends. When people understand each other’s roles and can step in during crunch periods, you eliminate single points of failure.
Equally important is addressing the culture of constant availability. To combat the expectation of always being “on,” implement designated non-work hours. Block communication-free periods during evenings or weekends, and honor vacation time. Leaders must model these boundaries themselves – when you respond to emails at midnight, you’re signaling that’s the expected behavior.
The bottom line is this: sustainable workloads don’t happen by accident. They require intentional leadership and organizational commitment – and they’re essential for long-term team success and retention.
Build stress resilience
The modern workplace has become increasingly stressful. Pandemic disruptions, AI advancements, turbulent markets, and constantly evolving skill requirements create pressure from all sides. To thrive in this environment, teams need to embrace the fourth mindset: stress resilience. This mindset prioritizes proactive preparation and adaptability, ensuring teams can withstand and even grow through challenges.
At the core of this mindset are four key resources that truly resilient teams rely on. First is team efficacy – a collective confidence that even in adversity, they can deliver. Second, clear roles and responsibilities with established interaction patterns and a good understanding of each other’s knowledge and skills. Third is improvisation – that MacGyver-like ability to draw on existing resources to create new solutions or pivot quickly. And finally, the fourth is psychological safety, where team members feel safe to take risks, deliver hard feedback, or propose creative new ideas.
Building these resources requires intentional leadership. So start by setting clear, meaningful goals for your team. Make sure everyone understands not just what needs to be done, but why it matters. Then establish transparent tracking mechanisms that are accessible to everyone. This creates shared ownership and builds collective confidence.
Along the way, don’t forget to regularly clarify priorities as conditions change. In volatile environments, yesterday’s urgent task might be superseded by new developments. So ensure calendars actually reflect these priorities, with the highest urgency work scheduled first. Too often teams claim certain work is critical while their time allocation tells a different story.
You’ll also need to pay careful attention to the quality of documents your team produces. Clear, well-organized documentation reduces cognitive load during stressful periods and enables faster problem-solving. Make sure these resources are accessible to everyone who needs them.
Put together, these practices anticipate and solve communication challenges that inevitably arise in high-stress scenarios. They build the foundation for team resilience.
Beyond individual teams, organizational resilience requires its own cultivation. Strong leadership practices set the tone – when executives demonstrate adaptability themselves, it cascades throughout the company. Organizations that actively monitor industry shifts and emerging trends can anticipate challenges rather than merely react to them. Companies that genuinely value innovation create space for experimentation and tolerate the occasional failure as part of the learning process.
By focusing on building resilience at both team and organizational levels, you create an environment where people can thrive even amidst constant change and pressure.
Promote values alignment
What truly makes employees thrive at work? A comprehensive study of 20,000 employees found the answer isn’t compensation or even advancement opportunities – it’s meaning. When employees’ personal values align with organizational values, they find purpose in their work. This alignment creates a powerful foundation for engagement and retention.
This brings us to the fifth mindset: values alignment. When leadership and organizational practices reflect the values they promote, employees feel a deeper connection to their work. However, when values are misaligned – such as companies that champion work-life balance but reward overwork, or those that promote innovation but penalize risk-taking – trust erodes, and motivation falters.
Fortunately, research has identified several powerful leadership strategies that foster meaningful work through values alignment.
At the heart of this approach is communicating your work’s bigger impact. Help team members understand how their daily tasks contribute to something significant beyond profit margins. When employees see the connection between their efforts and positive outcomes for customers, communities, or society, their sense of purpose naturally deepens.
This culture begins taking shape during hiring and onboarding. Start meaningful conversations about what matters to candidates from the interview stage. When new team members join, explicitly connect organizational values to daily work practices. Ask what aspects of the mission resonate with them personally to reinforce that values alignment matters from day one.
This understanding works hand-in-hand with recognizing and nurturing potential. Effective leaders see employees not just for their current contributions but for who they might become. By having thoughtful career development conversations and providing stretch assignments that align with personal goals, you signal that individual growth matters alongside organizational needs.
Of course, none of these strategies work without leaders who model values-based behavior. Your actions as a leader must embody the values you espouse. If your organization values work-life balance, visibly protect your own boundaries. If you promote psychological safety, acknowledge your own mistakes first and demonstrate vulnerability. Your lived example speaks infinitely louder than any mission statement.
By adopting these mindsets around values alignment, you create an environment where meaning flourishes – and where talented people choose to stay and contribute their best work.
Conclusion
In this summary to Lead Well by Paul Davis, you’ve learned how five mindsets – recognition, psychological needs, sustainable workloads, stress resilience, and values alignment – help leaders build thriving teams.
Start by making employees feel valued through sticky recognition and meaningful work that balances autonomy, belonging, and challenge. Then, ensure workloads are sustainable and teams are resilient, so they can adapt to stress and change. Finally, align personal and organizational values to create a deeper sense of purpose. Together, these mindsets create a culture where employees feel supported, motivated, and ready to contribute their best.