Leaders, Remember your 'How' | Focus on Your Team’s Experience, For Results That Innovate

PART 1

Hi folks! This is a two-parter in our blog series… so dive in today and look for more tips next week.

The Bottom Line

Results are the destination, but the how is the fuel that engages your team. And if we want long-term success—both for our teams and our businesses—paying attention to that journey is a non-negotiable.

It’s easy to get caught up in chasing results—hitting targets, delivering projects, meeting KPIs. And sure, results matter. But if we’re only looking at the numbers, we’re missing a huge piece of the puzzle: how our teams got there.

The process—the effort, collaboration, and problem-solving—shapes the workplace experience., and ultimately, the culture. When your leadership focuses only on outcomes, you risk disengagement, burnout, and a culture where people feel like cogs in a machine because they aren’t feeling like the valued contributors they are. They’re not confident you’re seeing the effort it takes to reach the heights their aspiring to.

So, let’s talk about why the how matters and what we can do to lead with it in mind.

The Cost of Ignoring the Process

Here’s the reality: Most employees aren’t engaged at work. Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace report shows that only 23% of employees worldwide feel engaged. That leaves 62% who are just going through the motions, and 15% are actively disengaged.

That lack of engagement is costing companies, including yours, an estimated $8.9 trillion in lost productivity every year.

Once your team hits burnout, it takes more time and resources to recover them, and that’s only if you can. The same report found that more than half of disengaged employees experience significant daily stress. That stress trickles into team dynamics, decision-making, and long-term retention.

In other words, ignoring how your people work, not just what they produce, has real consequences.

Outcome-Obsessed to Process-Aware Leadership

Think about a time when your team hit a big goal. Maybe it was a sales target, a project launch, or a major client win.

Now, ask yourself:

• Do you know what specifically helped each team member succeed?

• Was it clear throughout the process how their efforts were moving towards success?

• How did they feel during the process—stressed, supported, energized?

I’d love to hear back from you on any success stories you have.  Ask: ‘What is the experience like for my team?’ I’m looking for guests to be on my upcoming Podcast: You, UNLearned. Submit your success story and let’s connect! And, look for Part 2 next week!