Why business resilience today depends not on rigid KPIs, but on shared meaning
In business, the word “love” used to sound strange - almost spiritual. But I think it is exactly what we need right now, when economies, values, and priorities are shifting faster than anyone expected.
Companies face pressure from every direction: regulators, markets, employees. A high salary still matters, but it is no longer enough to keep people engaged. You need to connect with them on a deeper level.
I believe the main job of a leader is to inspire the team and build a healthy environment. My approach is simple: attention, openness, and honesty improve how people work together. This is what I call “love for the work” - being willing to talk about hard things, make thoughtful decisions, and notice what your people actually need.
Two types of leaders - and why both matter
A business reflects the leadership style of its founder. When a leader tries to act in a way that does not match their natural strengths, problems begin.
Broadly speaking, there are two leadership modes. The first is built on discipline, structure, and control - clear processes, measurable results, order. The second is built on culture and meaning - shaping the environment where people actually want to show up and contribute.
Both have value. Discipline-driven organizations are precise and well-organized. But culture-driven leadership creates the conditions for people to do their best work.
A real example: when traditional markets closed one after another, one CEO chose to invest in his team’s psychological foundation instead of cutting costs. He launched a wellbeing program and gave local leaders budgets to support their people. He replaced dry reports with radical honesty, saying: “The company is its people - the numbers will follow.” The result: the lowest employee turnover in the industry and a wave of new ideas from the team. People who feel safe take initiative.
Leadership as a personal stance
One of the paradoxes of leadership is that engagement cannot be forced. A team will not care if their leader is acting from fear or tension.
What matters is being intentional, not reactive. I practice this every day. I manage my emotions. Instead of reacting impulsively, I choose to pause. Important decisions are rarely urgent. And urgent things are rarely the most important. When you let emotion drive a decision, you usually have to redo it.
A real leader today creates from genuine care - for the work and for the people. When a leader stops resisting the storm, they become a source of stability for everyone around them.
I often get asked: how do I keep control over my team? People are surprised when I answer: “I don’t.” I throw an idea into the fire, and the team makes it grow - without micromanagement. Discipline is still the backbone, but it looks different depending on the business.
Exchange vs. collaboration: how to act in turbulent times
When markets fall, the typical reaction is to cut costs. But this is where many companies make a critical mistake: they reduce relationships to a simple transaction - time for money.
The moment you start “buying” people’s time instead of supporting their desire to contribute, things fall apart. Work becomes mechanical. There is no room for real service or genuine engagement.
If a company cannot answer the question “why are we here?”, it pushes people into survival mode. In survival mode, people naturally try to give as little as possible. And creation is impossible in survival mode.
Meaning inside a company is not a motivational poster on the wall. It is the answer to the question “why?” - one that helps people rise above day-to-day chaos. Values tell you how to act. Meaning tells you why the whole thing exists.
When meaning is clear, you need less motivation machinery. People show up not because they have to, but because they understand what they are building together.
What to do in the first month of a crisis
Every crisis reveals the true state of your team. One of the leader’s first tasks is an honest diagnosis. The question is not about skills - it is about state of mind: is the team in action mode or in fear mode? Are people looking for solutions, or are they quietly checking out?
Talk about this directly. A crisis calls for mobilization, not false stability. If someone is already in “internal refusal” mode - doing the minimum, withdrawing - you cannot rely on them. But do not start blaming people. That is a dead end. Instead, recognize that the current situation is a result of your own choices as a leader. The change starts with you.
Next, align on the goal. Make sure the team understands what they need to do and why it matters. When it comes to layoffs - remember that in the short term they almost always increase costs: closing processes, breaking contracts, rebuilding systems.
Look not only at what to cut, but also at where new energy might come from - new clients, new opportunities, new partnerships. In my experience, a crisis is actually a great time to build alliances. Companies that become a source of support for others attract stronger, more lasting partnerships than any negotiation tactic can bring.
One last thing: watch out for leaders who thrive in crisis mode. Some companies never seem to leave it - there is always an emergency, always an “urgent” problem. People unconsciously create the environment that feels familiar to them. But permanent crisis is expensive. For everyone.
Why stories are stronger than numbers
In turbulent times, many leaders respond by increasing workload, reorganizing structures, and trying to fix everything at once. But often, thoughtful conversations are far more effective.
As the poet Muriel Rukeyser wrote, “The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.” Narratives are the glue that holds a team together when external structures are shaking.
A leader also needs a close circle - two or three people with whom you have deep alignment. People you do not need to explain your basic values to. People who are trying to grow and contribute.
Speaking from the heart is not a weakness. It is the highest form of connection. When you communicate at this level, everything changes - the quality of decisions, the energy in the room, even your own wellbeing. It is the quiet joy of recognizing “your people” - and that recognition is one of the most powerful sources of resilience there is.