In January 2025, Gallup confirmed what many of us already felt - employee engagement has crashed to its lowest point in a decade. Only 31% of employees are engaged. That means 7 in 10 people are just going through the motions. It’s the worst for workers younger than 35.

Most leaders I work with don’t suffer from a lack of things to do. In fact, the opposite is true. Our diaries are packed, and our inboxes are full. We wake up in task mode, move from meeting to meeting, and end the day with barely enough margin to think.

Many years ago, I had the privilege of working closely with Dr. Stephen R. Covey. He was at the height of his influence, and we were establishing the Covey Leadership Centre in Southern Africa. It was an extraordinary moment in time. One that was both professionally and personally formative, the impact of which still lives with me today.

Since the early 1900s, Mount Everest had stood as the ultimate challenge for the world’s greatest mountaineers. Time and time again, the mountain repelled those who dared to climb it. The early expeditions faced brutal conditions. Many climbers perished, including the legendary Mallory and Irvine in 1924.

Over the past 12 months, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with an executive team on a transformative leadership journey. Yesterday, in our final session, the team reflected on what they had learned, what they had applied, and how they had grown—both as individual leaders and as a unified executive team.

An executive was asked; ‘How many people work here?’ His answer; ‘Only half’. He was deadly serious. Gallup tells us 62% of employees globally are not engaged and are merely going through the motions. Think of the cost. The wasted capacity for contribution. The tragic waste of organisational resources and peoples lives.

What is that one thing you most desire? This “thing” is your lion. The lion represents your deepest desires – the ones that awaken both passion and fear. Like staring into the eyes of a majestic predator, achieving this desire feels daunting because it requires something profound: CHANGE.