Most organisations waste their smartest people

TL;DR; Many organisations waste their smartest people by creating environments where decision-making is centralized and ideas are slowed by bureaucracy, leaving those closest to the work powerless. This leads to disengagement or turnover among top talent, not due to lack of motivation but because they are unable to act. To retain and energize your best people, give them real authority to drive change.

Published on 12 April 2025

Written by Martin Hinshelwood

1 minute read

https://nkdagility.com/resources/hXwfpdteI-Q

Most organisations waste their smartest people. Not because they lack skill—but because their environment makes thinking a liability.

Decisions are made at the top, leaving those closest to the work powerless.
Ideas get stuck in endless loops of sign-offs.
Speed is sacrificed for control.

People don’t need motivation. They need the ability to act. Yet, in so many companies, talent is squandered in meetings, reports, and waiting for permission that never comes.

The best employees don’t tolerate this forever. They leave. Or worse—they disengage.

If your best people aren’t driving change, it’s not because they don’t care. It’s because they’ve learned it doesn’t matter.

Also published on: LinkedIn

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