Eric Jones

Leaders think unclear expectations are a policy problem. They’re a relationship problem. No one burns out from work they can define. They burn out from work no one can define, and from leaders who treat clarity as a document instead of a conversation. A 60-year meta-analysis of nearly 800,000 workers found role ambiguity more corrosive than workload or hours. Gallup’s July 2026 data adds the sting: only 49% of U.S. employees strongly agree they know what is expected of them. Notice ...

Managers are not failing because they lack grit. Many are failing because the org chart quietly turned leadership into air-traffic control. The “Great Flattening” removed management layers, then loaded the remaining managers with wider spans, heavier individual-contributor work, constant change and more emotional labour. Gallup reports that average direct reports rose from 10.9 in 2024 to 12.1 in 2025. Twenty-two percent of managers now supervise 10–24 people, while 13% supervise 25 or more....

Burnout is not proof your people need another pep talk. It may be proof they no longer believe effort will lead somewhere better. That distinction matters. Gallup reports that 27% of U.S. full-time employees feel burned out always or very often. Globally, engagement sits at just 20%, representing roughly $10 trillion in lost productivity. The answer is not more motivation theatre. It is psychological capital. Reframe APA’s 2026 Work in America survey of 2,009 employed adults found that 48%...