When the Organizational Nervous System Freezes, Expect These Outcomes:

Overexertion: A leader who works 12 hours a day and is constantly available unintentionally sets this as the norm for the team. According to a 2022 Gallup survey, 73% of overworked leaders have teams that also report high stress and declining engagement. If we don’t set boundaries, our teams won’t know where to draw the line either.

Unstable Teams: In a sales team where the leader constantly sets new directions and changes KPIs every quarter, employees feel 40% less secure and are 2.5 times more likely to leave the company (Harvard Business Review, 2023). Lack of consistent decisions is paralyzing—teams will opt for safe solutions over creative problem-solving, leading to long-term stagnation.

Orphaned Responsibility: Leadership accountability is crucial for an organization’s integrity and the consistency of its values. A study found that among 62 leadership values, employees rated “Takes full responsibility for the performance of their unit” the highest (Forbes, 2015). If leaders don’t clearly own their responsibilities and are inconsistent in style, employees often end up managing their managers—requiring extra energy investment.