Lately, I’ve been hearing a new kind of concern from the leaders I coach. It’s not about performance, KPIs, or even turnover. It’s something subtler—and more serious.
“My team feels off.”
“The energy in meetings is gone.”
“They’re still showing up—but something’s missing.”
Sound familiar? You’ve probably seen the signs: they're quiet, but not in a focused way, the mounting mistakes that didn’t used to happen, the subtle silence when you ask for ideas.
You’re not alone. What we’re seeing isn’t just disengagement—it’s something deeper. I believe it is even more concerning as we see it emerge across the organizations we coach: quiet cracking.
It’s when your employees aren’t just checked out—they’re worn out. They’re emotionally unraveling under the weight of constant pressure and uncertainty. And while it might be quiet, the consequences are loud.
According to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, a single burned-out employee costs you an average of $21,000 a year in lost productivity. That’s one person. One year. And those costs compound when burnout turns into turnover.
Multiply that across your team—and the cost becomes impossible to ignore.
But here's what I want you to hear: this is fixable.
Not with perks. Not with platitudes.
With a clear, intentional culture strategy that puts people at the center. Because people are the point.
If we were sitting down for coffee and talking through your team dynamics, here’s what I’d share with you.
While compensation and workload matter, they aren’t the root issue for most disengagement today. The Barna Group, in new research presented at our Culture Matters Summit, reports that 45% of Americans categorize their lives—or their perceived future lives—as struggling, outside of financial considerations. This means employees are showing up to work already depleted emotionally, relationally, or spiritually. If leaders aren’t addressing this broader context, their employee engagement strategies will fall short.
Gallup confirms the trend. In its 2024 workplace outlook, Gallup emphasized that employee wellbeing—especially emotional wellbeing—is one of the top five predictors of performance and retention. Organizations that ignore this are not only facing disengagement but also future talent shortages.
So what do you do about it?
Here are ten ways I’m encouraging leaders to respond to what we’re seeing:
Gallup’s research continues to affirm what I’ve seen in every organization I work with: people want purpose, not just a paycheck. Your team wants to know their work matters. Don’t just talk about the mission—connect it to meaning. Use real customer stories in team meetings. Invite your frontline team to hear how their behind-the-scenes effort made an impact. And most importantly: make the “why” personal, frequent, and specific.
Confusion is one of the fastest morale-killers in any culture. When people aren’t sure what’s expected of them—or who they report to—they waste time managing ambiguity instead of doing meaningful work.
That’s why we offer org chart coaching at the 4Sight Group: to help leaders redesign structure in a way that supports both your strategy and your people.
Feedback should be part of your regular leadership rhythm—not something saved for annual reviews. As the leader, you go first. Model it. When you respond to feedback with curiosity instead of defensiveness, you create a culture where feedback becomes a tool for growth—not a threat. One of the simplest things you can do is normalize feedback conversations in your 1:1s. Here are three of my favorite prompts to get started:
What are the top 3 things I’m doing well as your leader?
What are the bottom 3 things I need to grow in?
What should I start doing, stop doing, and keep doing as your manager?
According to Gallup, employees who receive recognition at least weekly are 5x more likely to be engaged. Recognition doesn’t have to be expensive—it just needs to be meaningful. Try this:
Highlight wins tied to your values during all of your meetings, team meetings, all-hands, leadership meetings, etc.
Start a “shout-out” channel in Slack or Teams
Ask execs to recognize teams outside their usual circles
When your CFO thanks the engineering team for solving a customer issue, or a board member relays a story of impact to the support team—it matters. Recognition builds belonging.
Your team can’t perform at their best if they’re battling broken tools or unclear processes.
One time, I discovered an employee who wasn’t slow at typing—she had a broken “P” key and had been rephrasing every sentence to avoid words with a “P”!
Sometimes culture work is just about clearing friction.
Ask yourself: Do my people have the tools, access, and support they need to thrive?
Support scales best through intentional relationships. Consider:
Peer mentorship for new hires
Monthly check-ins for new managers with someone other than their boss
1:1 or group coaching for high-potential leaders
You don’t have to do it alone. Sometimes bringing in a coaching partner like 4Sight can accelerate growth with clarity, accountability, and momentum.
Google’s Project Aristotle found that teams with psychological safety are 67% more likely to apply new skills. That’s a culture of innovation and risk-taking—and it starts with trust.
Encourage managers to listen first. Make it safe to raise concerns or share ideas. Build trust by:
Following through on commitments to let your team experiment
Rewarding honesty and curiosity
Leading with empathy, especially in failure
Trust isn’t soft. It’s strategic.
I’ve seen it again and again—teams that have values, but don’t live them. You might even have experienced this yourself: values that were launched with excitement, printed on posters… and never mentioned again. One team member once challenged me with a hard but fair question: “Why are we doing this again? We’ve done values before, and nothing changed.”
That’s when it clicked: values alone aren’t enough.
If we want values to shape how we work, they need to be clear, lived, and reinforced. That’s why I use a tool called the Values Grid—a framework to move values from words on a wall to habits in your culture.
Each value should have:
The Value – e.g., “Collaboration”
The Belief – why it matters to your team
The Behaviors – how it shows up in daily work
The Sticky Statement or Story – something memorable that makes it yours
When values are this clear, they become culture-shaping cues—not forgotten posters. Download your own Values Grid here.
The average lunch break in the U.S. is just 29 minutes—and nearly 1 in 5 employees skip it altogether. But this isn’t about snacks. It’s about signals.
When leaders take breaks, they give others permission to do the same.
Encourage your team to step away:
Host monthly catered lunches to bring people together
Call for a no-meeting lunch hour at least once a week
Create a shared space for team members to eat lunch together
You don’t have to be the most charismatic leader to make the biggest impact. The secret isn’t in what you say—it’s in what you do consistently.
Whether it’s a weekly email to your team, a regular walk-around to check in, or a standing 1:1 with emerging leaders—your steady, intentional presence builds trust and momentum.
If you’ve tried perks but seen no payoff, the problem isn’t effort—it’s alignment. Culture work isn’t just about fun or feelings. It’s about building a system that supports your mission and stewards your people.
And here’s the good news: You’re already leading the charge. You’re reading this because you care—and that care can drive real transformation.
Looking for more support to lead culture well? Fill out this form and a member of our team will reach out.
You’ve got this—and we’re here to help.
Keep leading well,
Jenni Catron
Jenni Catron is a writer, speaker, and leadership coach who consults churches and non-profits to help them lead from their extraordinary best. She speaks at conferences and churches nationwide, seeking to help others develop their leadership gifts and lead confidently. As Founder and CEO of The 4Sight Group, she consults with individuals and teams on leadership and organizational health.
Jenni is the author of several books, including Clout: Discover and Unleash Your God-Given Influence and The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership.
A thriving culture is the backbone of any successful organization—it’s where mission and momentum meet. At The 4Sight Group, our LeadCulture Framework is designed to help you gain clarity, build trust, and ignite purpose within your team. You'll build a culture that aligns with your values and energizes your mission.
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