Why Your Team Seems Checked Out
It’s 9:02 AM. The weekly meeting is already dead in the water. Cameras off. Glazed eyes. People nodding while clicking other tabs. The manager reads off bullet points no one cares about.
Sound familiar?
Now imagine doing the same task the same way every day with no feedback, no context, and no chance to improve it. You hit your quota—no one even says “good job.” Eventually, you stop trying. You do just enough to get by and mentally check out by noon.
Or think about the employee who stayed late to land a client, handled a difficult customer, or fixed a major problem—only for their manager to barely acknowledge it in a Slack thread. But if they’re late to a meeting? The manager is all over it.
Or maybe it’s you. Hired into an exciting role only to discover no one knows what you’re supposed to be doing. Your manager is overwhelmed. Your team doesn’t include you. You spend half the day wondering if you’re even doing it right. Eventually, you stop caring.
It’s Not Hard to Understand
Why is this so hard for so many leaders to see? Motivating and retaining people isn’t optional—it’s the core of leadership.
When people check out, it’s not laziness. It’s a reaction to the environment you’ve built.
Disengagement isn’t mysterious. It’s predictable.
If you only expect people to show up for a paycheck, don’t be surprised when that’s all they do.
Motivation Isn’t Magic
This isn’t about being warm and fuzzy for no reason. It’s about creating conditions where people want to care about their work.
- Make them feel seen.
- Recognize effort.
- Offer ways to grow.
Your brand’s reputation, your team’s performance, and your retention all depend on this.
So before blaming your team for being “lazy,” take a good look in the mirror. Because the fix starts with you.