28/07/2026
I’ve spoken with a number of employees lately who feel disconnected from their leaders.
They’re not feeling valued because either their leaders aren’t available or they’re not visibly investing in the relationship.
Sure, they can see that it’s not intentional, and they can understand the deadlines, client pressures, competing priorities, etc. They can rationalise why their leader isn’t making time for them, but it doesn’t change how it feels.
For some, they’re losing motivation to put in their best effort and are emotionally disconnecting. For others they’re halfway out the door.
Now, it’s rare that a leader steps into a leadership role thinking, “I’m going to be a bad leader”. Just saying that out loud feels quite ridiculous, right? Yet most of us have experienced leadership that has left us feeling unseen and unsupported, whether it seems intentional or not.
From working alongside many leaders, I can see what’s happening from their end and that it’s often due to -
- Being pulled in multiple directions by clients, deadlines, or even pressures from above (if they’re not the founder)
- Not feeling equipped to have the conversation that needs to be had, so they just avoid it
- Assuming that because someone is performing well, they don’t need the regular check-ins
- Struggling to keep their head above water and so the relationships slip down the priority list
These things are easy to understand when we step back and look at the bigger picture, but when you’re caught up in the day-to-day reality of leading a business, it can be harder to see the impact.
This is the part of leadership I find so fascinating. The intersection between intention and impact. The different perspectives and realities that exist within the same team or organisation.
It’s one of the reasons I love supporting leaders through the messy, human side of leadership. Helping them navigate those difficult conversations and to understand the impact of their leadership style, so they can create those strong relationships.
Nobody sets out to be the leader their teams feels disconnected from, sometimes they just need some trusted support to bridge the gap.