When 67% of team members are quietly disengaging, leadership needs to evolve.

We have to question, has stress become the real pandemic?

In recent years, a new phrase has crept into boardroom conversations: quiet quitting.

The term is catchy, but more importantly,  it speaks to a much larger issue.

According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2024, only 23% of employees worldwide are engaged in their work. That leaves roughly 77% of the workforce either disengaged or actively disconnected, costing the global economy an estimated $8.8 trillion in lost productivity each year.

Is this a crisis of disconnection?

For many decades, leadership models were built on command-and-control structures that prioritised efficiency and measurable output. Organisations focused on targets, performance dashboards, and operational precision.

But has something essential been lost along the way? Has the human dimension of work been underestimated in the process? Deloitte’s 2024 Global Human Capital Trends report points to a growing priority in modern organisations: human sustainability. In simple terms, this means creating environments where people have the capacity, purpose, and well-being to contribute at their best.

Human beings are meaning-seeking creatures. When meaning disappears, engagement follows.

Organisations that focus exclusively on targets often experience the same pattern: trust may erode, creativity declines, and collaboration becomes transactional rather than purposeful.

In Unfollow the Leader, Reem Borrows reflects on this shift by encouraging leaders to move beyond simply seeking information and instead become the source of transformation through deeper personal alignment.

Leadership that restores connection tends to be built on three foundations.

Presence
People need to feel seen and heard, not simply managed.

Purpose
Work must connect to a vision larger than a list of tasks.

Trust
Research shows that high-trust environments experience significantly lower stress and substantially higher productivity.

Leadership today is less about the authority of a title and more about creating environments where people can perform, contribute, and grow.

When leaders focus on meaning, they unlock something far more powerful than compliance. They unlock commitment.

To explore how leadership presence and authentic connection impact organisational performance, read our article on: Authentic Leadership and the ROI of Executive Coaching

Leadership is evolving.

If you want to explore a different model of leadership grounded in clarity, presence, and purpose, join the conversation. Join our leadership community and explore the ideas further in Unfollow the Leader,  Reem’s upcoming book on conscious leadership in modern organisations.

Written in a simple, heart-centred way, the book brings leadership to life through real stories, practical reflections, and clear tools you can apply straight away. Each chapter is designed to be easy to follow and to help you turn insight into action, for results that stick.