Your most disengaged employees may not have a motivation problem. They have an identity problem. They were hired for a title, and the parts of them that don't fit the title stay switched off. After 25 years as a biotech finance and strategy executive, Tony Martignetti walked out of a boardroom to help leaders reawaken the brilliance their workplaces put to sleep.
He joins Ashish Kothari to explain why so many high performers end up outwardly successful and inwardly numb, why some people are burned out while others are simply bored, and the three questions that reveal what someone is good at but never gets asked to do.
If your team is performing but not alive, start here.
What You Will Learn:
1. Look for an identity problem before a motivation problem.
When someone checks out, ask which part of them the job stopped asking for. People rarely lose their ability. They lose the chance to use it.
2. Know the difference between burned out and bored.
Burnout is too much work. Boredom is work that stopped mattering. One needs a lighter plate, the other needs a reason to care.
3. Ask three questions that reveal what someone never gets asked to do.
When did you last feel most alive? What do you do on autopilot? What's missing in your day.
4. Don't just engage people. Enrich them.
Leave people better than you found them. Tell someone what you see in them, and swap one status question for "What surprised you this week?"
Episode Chapters:
- 00:00Reconnecting with your own light as the first step to helping others do the same.
- 05:28A personal turning point: leaving a successful career to rediscover what was missing.
- 12:55Why employee disengagement is often an identity issue, not simply a motivation problem.
- 22:02The human capabilities that matter most in an AI-driven workplace: integration, meaning-making, and better questions.
- 28:33The Illumination Framework for uncovering overlooked strengths and turning them into meaningful action.
- 38:13Three practical leadership exercises to empower others, recognize overlooked strengths, and ask better questions.
Resources:
Connect with the Guest
LinkedIn: Tony Martignetti
Recommended Reading:
Connect with the Host
LinkedIn: Ashish Kothari
Website: Happiness Squad
Book: Hardwired For Happiness
YouTube: Happiness Squad Channel
TEDx: How to make flourishing your competitive edge
If this conversation sparked something for you, please subscribe and leave a review, it takes 30 seconds and helps more people discover the show.
