This is the critical part of work leaders keep missing

In a general sense, workplace leaders are trained to focus on what can be seen and measured. They’re taught to pay close attention to employee performance, productivity, and efficiency—often without realizing that some of the most important aspects of work will never appear in any of these metrics.

What too often goes unseen is how people experience their work. Whether they find meaning in what they do. Whether they feel connected to it and to the people around them. Whether their work aligns with who they are.

To some, these may sound abstract or insignificant. They are not. They are core drivers of human well-being—and therefore of employee motivation and achievement. And when they are missing, leaders inevitably lose access to the full capacity, commitment and creativity of their people.

In truth, most organizations and leaders do not intentionally ignore these factors. They simply struggle to define and prioritize them in ways that feel concrete and actionable. As a result, they are often addressed indirectly—through isolated initiatives—rather than embedded in how leadership is actually practiced. This is the shift leaders today must make.

If we are willing to name this clearly, what we are discussing are spiritual needs—deep human needs for meaning, belonging, and a sense that one’s work reflects who they are. These needs are not religious, mystical, ideological or non-important. They are fundamental to human nature. And every person brings them to work, whether they are recognized or not.

While often treated as independent concerns—each warranting its own initiatives and support if acknowledged at all—these experiences are inseparable. They converge around a single question every employee carries, spoken or not.

Does this work matter, and do I matter in it?

When the answer is yes, people invest discretionary energy. They bring dimensions of themselves leaders dream of: initiative, resilience, ownership, and creativity—call it passionate commitment.

When the answer is no, effort defaults into the transactional. Work gets done but is not owned in any sense. Over time, true engagement becomes impossible, burnout often occurs—even among high performers—and employees’ progressively loosened ties often lead to quitting.

Research in organizational psychology consistently supports these connections. Studies show that when people experience their work as meaningful—when it feels that what they do matters and aligns with their values—they report higher well-being, stronger intrinsic motivation, greater persistence in the face of stress and a greater capacity for resilience under pressure. When meaning erodes, each of these declines as well.

Leaders who recognize this dimension begin to lead differently. They routinely clarify how individual roles contribute to something larger. They listen more carefully to how people are experiencing their work, not just how they are performing in it. And they ask employees personally how their roles could be shaped to feel more meaningful, more connected, and more aligned with who they are.

Years ago, when I was leading a team of over thirty managers, one of my highest-performing and most experienced leaders, Glenda, asked if she could take over planning my monthly, all-day team meetings.

It struck me as an unusual request—and one I was initially reluctant to grant. I knew how much time and effort went into those meetings, and I worried it might distract her from her already exceptional performance.

When I asked why she wanted to take it on, however, her answer was immediate. She told me she loved that kind of work, but more importantly, it would give her a closer working relationship with me and allow her to have a more direct impact on her peers and, ultimately, the hundreds of employees they led.

It instantly became clear that Glenda was looking to make her work even more meaningful by making a broader and deeper contribution to the success of our team. I gave her the responsibility. She excelled in it—and remained an extraordinary performer for years to come.

I learned in this moment how very powerful my accommodation was to Glenda, and it taught me that leaders have the ability to influence people this profoundly—whether they realize it or not.

Howard Thurman captured this idea wonderfully when he wrote:

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

What he’s describing is neither abstract nor aspirational. It is what naturally happens when something far more fundamental within us is being fulfilled. And, at work, this sense of being “alive” is driven by three deeply interconnected human needs:

First, the need to matter.
People need to know and feel that their contributions make a difference and are valued by others. Without that, it becomes difficult for them to sustain the level of care, effort, and commitment that meaningful work requires.

Second, the need to belong.
We are, as Brené Brown has said, “psychologically, emotionally, cognitively and spiritually hard-wired for connection, love and belonging.” And this most certainly applies at work. Employees want and need to feel known, respected, safe and connected to those around them—especially with people on their team. It’s often said that people don’t quit companies, they quit their manager. But research shows employees more often leave when they no longer feel they belong on their team.   

Third, the need for alignment.
People need to feel their work reflects who they are—that their strengths, identity and values are expressed through what they do each day. Research from Amy Wrzesniewski shows that employees who feel connected to their work this way—who experience alignment between their roles and their core values—are more engaged, resilient, and willing to go above and beyond. As Wrzesniewski writes, “How people experience their work has profound effects on their motivation, performance, and well-being.” Alignment, therefore, isn’t a “nice-to-have”; it’s essential to leaders unlocking human potential at work.

Making Work Matter

Just as leaders cannot ignore fair pay, recognition, opportunities for growth, and the autonomy employees need to do their jobs effectively, they can no longer ignore the deeply human—indeed, spiritual—dimension of work.

Journalist, Studs Terkel famously said that “Work is about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread.” In essence, work is a means through which people seek significance, a sense of contribution, and connection to something larger than themselves.

Leaders have the power to cultivate this sense of aliveness. Just as Glenda found deeper purpose when given the chance to personally shape her work, every employee can flourish when leaders intentionally nurture their need to matter, belong, and align their work with who they are.

The responsibility is clear: leaders mustn’t treat these human needs as optional. To unlock the full potential of their people—and their organization—they must create workplaces where work matters not only practically, but existentially.

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