What’s your approach to motivating disengaged employees?

I’ve found that listening first often makes the biggest difference. Understanding why someone feels disengaged — lack of clarity, recognition, or growth — helps tailor the right response. Then, giving ownership, showing trust, and celebrating even small wins rebuilds motivation from the inside out.

Great point, Syed, giving people ownership can truly reignite motivation.

When I face disengaged team members, I start by understanding the root cause, whether it’s burnout, lack of clarity, or feeling undervalued. From there, I combine your approach of decentralization with visible quick wins: giving them small, meaningful responsibilities that show progress and impact.

Recognition also matters, even informal, genuine appreciation goes a long way. Once people see their contribution connecting to the bigger picture, engagement often follows naturally.

Syed Ashir Riaz

That’s a great approach.
You’re touching one of the most consistent findings in recent research: autonomy and trust are powerful antidotes to disengagement.

Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2024 shows that when people feel trusted and own their outcomes, engagement can triple, but autonomy alone isn’t enough. It works sustainably only when it’s supported by clarity, capability, and connection.

In practice, decentralization isn’t just about giving decision power, it’s about designing the conditions where people feel safe to use it.

Teams thrive when autonomy comes with:
- Clear goals and feedback loops (Amabile’s Progress Principle)
- Visible trust from leadership (Covey’s Speed of Trust)
- A sense of purpose greater than the task itself (Deloitte, Human Capital Trends).

When autonomy, trust, and purpose evolve together, engagement stops being compliance and becomes contribution.
In regenerative leadership, trust is not given once, it is renewed each time people feel seen, heard, and empowered to act with integrity.