Why Your Leadership Isn’t Landing

What Next-Gen Talent is Waiting to Feel from You

I remember the moment clearly sitting across from a brilliant emerging leader on my team, watching them slowly disengage as I tried to coach them through a performance conversation. I was focused, prepared, and speaking with what I thought was clarity around expected performance outcomes. But their energy had shifted, and mine, frankly, wasn’t where it needed to be either. 

While reflecting on how it played out, I realized it wasn’t about not being heard or dismissed; I just wasn’t being felt. It was a jarring realization. As a traditional leader, one who has built credibility through results, performance systems, and strong execution, I was missing the most important signal the next generation sends:

"I am engaged if I believe in how you show up, not just what you say. “

"Can your leadership hold both what made you successful and what the next generation needs to thrive?” 

To unlock motivation, you must be inspirational. Here are the key shifts to success with today’s modern leadership mandate. 

• The workforce evaluates their leaders based on how they make them feel 

• Your energy is part of how you transfer inspiration 

• Shift your perspective: Being inspirational isn’t just for extroverts 

• To reach and engage more people, you need to master Flex Capacity; the ability to recognize, read and adapt to different people and contexts

  
  

The Leadership Shift That’s Quietly Rewriting the Rules

We talk a lot about leadership transformation, but what we’re really seeing in organizations especially in tech, growth-stage companies, and purpose-driven institutions is more subtle. There’s a generational shift in how leadership is experienced. 

Today’s workforce isn’t asking leaders to step aside. 

They’re asking us to step forward differently. 

They want to follow leaders who: 

• Communicate purpose without preaching 

• Adapt without losing integrity 

• Spark energy, not just set direction 

• Make them feel seen, not just managed

That’s why inspiration is no longer a capability for a select group of leaders; it’s a performance necessity for all leaders. 

Inspiration Is Not a Trait; It’s a Transfer 

Inspiration isn’t just about what a leader believes. It’s about what others feel in their leadership presence. 

You’ve likely experienced it: that leader who walks into a room and you instinctively sit up straighter. Not because of their title, but because of their conviction. Their belief. Their energy. They don’t command attention, they invite alignment. 

But here’s the hard truth: burnt-out leaders can’t transmit belief. 

And in our work across industries, we’re seeing more and more leaders depleted navigating complexity, carrying organizational weight, and losing access to the very energy needed to lead well.

Inspiration requires fuel, including clarity on purpose and recovery time. It’s about a mindset rooted in optimism, not urgency. Leaders can’t pour from an empty tank, and they certainly can’t inspire from one.  

One Style Doesn’t Reach Everyone, And It Never Did 

It’s easy to assume that once we tap back into our purpose, the inspiration will flow. But the next challenge is this: your style isn’t inspiring to everyone. 

Through our data-backed leader persona work, I see a common gap: leaders who are deeply values-driven, but unaware of how their interpersonal defaults limit their reach. 

For instance, some talk over others without realizing it, others avoid tension in a way that erodes trust, and many struggle to connect with people who don’t share their rhythm, background or worldview. 

That’s why Flex Capacity is a non-negotiable enabler of inspirational leadership. You can’t inspire what you can’t reach. And you can’t reach what you don’t see. 

Flex Capacity isn’t about changing who you are. It’s about amplifying how you connect so your belief becomes transferable, and not just visible. 

Motivation Without Belief Falls Flat 

We often hear executives say, “We’ve invested so much in motivating our team's recognition, bonuses and growth paths. Why isn’t it sticking?” 

That’s because motivation doesn’t sustain without inspiration. 

Motivation is the output. Inspiration is the input. 

Leaders must first create belief, belief in the mission, belief in the individual’s contribution, belief in the path forward, and belief they can do it before they can ask for effort. That’s especially true for millennial and Gen Z team members, who expect to feel purpose before performance pressure. 

Inspiration is what unlocks engagement, discretionary effort and resilience. And it’s measurable. ln fact, we see it clearly in our leadership diagnostics. When inspiration is missing, motivation flattens. When it’s present, energy follows. 

What Does It Take to Inspire? 

In our work with leaders across industries, here’s what we’ve found. 

Inspirational leaders: 

• Anchor their leadership in a clear personal why 

  
  

• Protect and replenish their energy because presence supports predictable performance 

  
  

• Adapt their communication style to connect across difference. They don’t just inform. They ignite belief. 

  
  

• Reinforce work purpose consistently, and not just at offsites 

  
  

• Coach to energy, and not just outcomes 

Most importantly, they know that inspiration isn’t about them. It’s about how they show up in a way that makes others feel stronger, more focused and more committed. 

A Final Reflection 

Traditional leadership approaches focus on motivating others through goals, accountability and incentives. That still matters, but motivation without inspiration now falls flat. 

One of our Gen Z team members put it clearly: “We want structure without restrictions.” 

They’re asking for: 

• Clarity without micromanagement 

• Autonomy with support 

• Purpose beyond productivity 

  
  

Ask yourself: 

• Am I someone others feel energized by, or just directed by? 

• Do I create space for belief/buy-in before I demand effort? 

• Have I invested in understanding how different people experience my leadership? 

  
  

Because here’s the reality: You don’t have to become someone else to be inspiring. You just have to be more intentional, and more attuned in how you lead. 

This mindset calls for a leadership style that creates psychological freedom within organizational alignment, and it starts with inspiration. 

I didn’t know I had the ability to inspire until I started Pivotal Growth. My executive coaching work and leader persona consulting has enabled me to study it. My clients gave me the feedback and used the word “inspiring” to describe our work together. They helped me see something I didn’t know I had. 

It’s time to stop managing motivation. Unlock workforce engagement by working on your inspirational skills.  

If you feel like you’re not sure where to focus on your or your team’s leadership development, we can help you diagnose what matters for your mandate, leadership style and performance outcomes.