Ever sat through a team meeting where the same two people do all the talking while everyone else stays silent? That is more than awkward. It is expensive.

We’ve all seen it — leaders who look polished on the outside but feel unreachable on the inside. Perfect speeches. Perfect smiles. Perfectly distant. In progressive companies, the best leaders aren’t performing. They’re connecting — showing up as real humans and inviting their teams into the conversation.

Work isn’t supposed to feel like drudgery. Yet for too many employees, joy has been squeezed out by deadlines and constant change. Joy isn’t fluff—it’s a competitive advantage.