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Three Things I’m Interpreting...

1. High performers are not "getting softer."
   The pressure is getting worser.
   ​
   ​What leaders think is happening:​
   Top talent has less grit. They're lazier. They just need more resilience and to “get back to normal.”
   ​
   ​What is actually happening:​
   Those high performers built a sustainable rhythm during the pandemic. Not comfort. Rhythm. Having autonomy reduced coordination friction and cognitive load.
   ​
   Hybrid and flexible setups are not just perks. They change the throughput of attention. And when autonomy of high performing talent is removed, many treat this as a reason to leave, or check out, not a reason to negotiate.
   ​
   ​Why it matters for leadership decisions:​
   If your operating model depends on “people powering through,” you’re not managing performance. You’re borrowing it. The bill arrives as exits, quiet pullback, and invisible errors.
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2. Burnout is a trust signal: effort no longer maps to protection.
   ​​
   What leaders think is happening:
   ​We reward strong performance by offering retention bonuses, we talk about company growth because as we grow, so do our employees.
   ​
   ​What's actually happening:
   ​The reciprocity loop is broken by the threat (or in some cases reality) of layoffs, eliminations, and repeated "re-org" cycles. It's a groundhog day of the same lesson: performance does not purchase employment safety. Simply put, the psychological contract of "work hard and build a career" is replaced with "work hard and hope your position is saved."
   Research consistently shows layoffs carry long-tail damage to morale and loyalty. And those left behind burnout because of unmanagable workload, unfairness, unclear communication, and unreasonable time pressures.
   ​
   ​Why it matters for leadership decisions:​
   Retention messaging that assumes loyalty is a viable currency will miss what people are actually working for: reduced financial risk exposure, lifestyle sustainability, and control over their life, energy, & time.
   ​
3. Ai Is expanding yet compressing work - at the same damn time
   ​What leaders think is happening:
   ​Ai adoption is triggering an increase in productivity so that teams can do more work with fewer people. High performers will lean in; everyone else will be eliminated. Survival of the fittest, amirite?
   ​
   ​What's actually happening:
   ​Two things at once:
   - Ai tools are lowering the cost of independent execution for high performers, i.e., making running a side hustle less time consuming.
   - Layoffs and lean teams compress workload onto fewer people. Ai rarely removes coordination work, ambiguity, and review load. It often adds a new layer of cognitive overhead. Microsoft’s research points to AI adoption rising inside already overloaded environments.
   ​
   So the same high performer sees more work, less stability, and looks for a way out of the org.
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   ​Why it matters for leadership decisions: If you treat Ai as a substitute for labor rather than a part of system change, you increase the pressure to perform without redesigning or changing the work environment.

Two Leadership Behaviors to Modify...

Good leaders and high performers are able to reinforce “presence” as a proxy for performance.

Meetings will multiply. And when they do, visibility becomes safety. Proximity becomes proof of concept. High performers respond by optimizing for optics for exiting the game.

Leaders recognize burnout as a capacity problem instead of a design signal.

Resilience training rolls out while policies, workload math, and decision rights stay the same. The system remains intact, and the people absorb the cost. Don't. Absorb. The. Cost.

One Thing Worth Reading...

WORK. REWRITTEN. explores what leadership must become in an AI-driven world. Trellis Usher introduces “bilingual leadership”—the ability to lead both human and machine workforces effectively. She provides practical frameworks for redesigning teams, leading through disruption, and building accountable cultures.

If your performance is strong but your positioning feels scattered,
join me in the lab.

​
​March 25 | 11 am Central | 60 Minutes | Limited Seats

You will leave with:

• A clear articulation of who you are beyond your title
• Defined clarity on who you serve and what they actually desire
• Language that communicates strategic leverage
• A concise “I Am” positioning statement ready for reviews, advancement conversations, and interviews

Give yourself structured clarity. Enrollment closes when seats fill.