Let’s be honest: Leading people has never been more complex. Between hybrid schedules, cross-generational teams, and the quiet fatigue that’s settled across workplaces, leaders today are managing not just performance, but disconnection.
According to Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace, only 21% of employees worldwide are engaged — one of the lowest rates since the pandemic (Gallup, 2025). Burnout remains widespread, with over 80% of white-collar employees reporting symptoms of chronic stress and exhaustion (ArchieApp, 2024).
The cost? An estimated $8.9 trillion in lost productivity annually. That’s the equivalent of 9% of global GDP (Gallup, 2025).
These aren’t just HR statistics. They’re signals of a deeper leadership challenge: connection.
The modern workforce is more fragmented than ever. Remote work, flexible schedules, and digital collaboration tools have brought freedom and flexibility — but also fatigue and fragmentation.
Research shows that while teams may share tasks, they often lack true connection, which erodes engagement and trust (PeopleManagingPeople, 2024). Employees may appear aligned on paper, yet feel isolated in practice.
This is the real leadership paradox of our time:
Our people are connected by technology — but disconnected in meaning.
And here’s the distinction that matters most:
Without intentional leadership, fragmentation turns into disengagement.
Connection isn’t a “nice-to-have.” It’s a biological and psychological need.
Neuroscience research shows that when people feel trusted and included, the brain’s threat centre (the amygdala) quiets down, allowing the prefrontal cortex — the part responsible for decision-making, creativity, and empathy — to stay online (Lieberman & Eisenberger, 2023).
In contrast, social exclusion activates the same neural pathways as physical pain (Eisenberger, Lieberman & Williams, 2003). That’s how deeply wired we are for connection.
In leadership terms, this means that trust, belonging, and clarity aren’t soft metrics — they’re neurological enablers of high performance.
Amy Edmondson’s work at Harvard reinforces this. Her studies on psychological safety show that when people feel safe to speak up and take risks, team learning and innovation soar (Edmondson, 2019). Conversely, when leaders unintentionally create fear or confusion, engagement drops and performance follows.
Perhaps the most powerful insight from Gallup’s ongoing research is this:
70–80% of the variance in team engagement is directly attributable to the manager (Gallup, 2024).
It’s not policies or perks driving engagement — it’s leadership behaviour.
When managers lack clarity or are themselves disengaged, that energy cascades. But when they lead with presence, empathy, and direction, people respond with trust and commitment.
That’s why leadership development is no longer a “nice addition” to corporate strategy — it’s a business imperative. Organisations that invest in developing relational intelligence, emotional agility, and purpose-driven leadership consistently report higher engagement, retention, and performance (Deloitte, 2024).
Engagement doesn’t live in dashboards. It lives in daily moments between people — the tone in meetings, the safety to share an idea, the feeling of being seen and valued.
At its core, connection creates three key outcomes:
In neuroscience terms, connection activates oxytocin — the “trust hormone” — which strengthens social bonds and reduces stress (Zak, 2017). Teams that experience consistent connection aren’t just happier; they’re more innovative, adaptable, and resilient.
Engagement interventions often fail because they’re treated as events, not systems. Wellbeing apps and “fun Fridays” don’t shift behaviour. What works are regular, meaningful interactions — conversations that combine feedback, clarity, and care.
In one organisational case study, a leadership team that implemented a shared-purpose reset saw a 20% improvement in collaboration and engagement within 60 days (Cox, 2024; Drake Medox Case, Pathway to Purpose model).
It wasn’t a massive change. It was a human one — reframing engagement around connection, not compliance.
If you’re leading through fragmentation, start here:
When leaders model connected leadership — being both strong and kind, decisive yet empathetic — engagement becomes the natural byproduct.
The future of work isn’t hybrid or remote — it’s human.
Soft skills like trust, empathy, and relationship-building have become hard currencies in the modern workplace. They’re the levers that drive retention, wellbeing, and sustainable performance in a fragmented world.
Leaders who learn to create connection — in every conversation, every check-in, every decision — will not only retain their people, they’ll reignite them.
Because connection isn’t just how we work.
It’s why we work.
With strength and kindness,
Justine Maree Cox
