You’ve been here before

The team seems motivated. There’s laughter in the hallway. Everyone says they’re all in. But when you run the numbers, something doesn’t line up. The projects are taking longer than they should. Sales are soft. There’s a quiet drag somewhere in the system. And no matter how much you talk about alignment or ownership, the gap doesn’t close.

The truth is, energy and clarity aren’t the same

People can be excited and still confused. They can feel emotionally safe and still be financially unaware. And if your team is lit up but can’t see how their effort connects to the survival or success of the business, it creates a subtle drift. They’re rowing hard, but not always in the right direction. Over time, that misalignment turns into frustration. Then burnout. Then exit.

Make the connection visible

Your people don’t need to see the whole P&L. But they do need to understand how the choices they make impact the business. How this project affects margin. How this delay affects customer trust. How this experiment affects long-term growth. People crave meaning. And money isn’t just math – it’s a signal. A sign of trust, a sign of impact, a sign of what the business can withstand.

Wake up the story behind the spreadsheet

Start small. Walk your team through a real scenario. Not with a slide deck, but with clarity. “Here’s how much this campaign cost us. Here’s what it returned. Here’s what it meant for cash flow this quarter.” Invite questions. Invite suggestions. Connect their intuition to the numbers. You’re not offloading responsibility. You’re expanding context.

A few practices that shift the culture

  • Replace buzzwords with real numbers. Let clarity earn buy-in.
  • Explain cause and effect, not just results. Show the path from effort to outcome.
  • Talk about financial wins in team language. “Because of what you did, we…”
  • Make your financial reality feel shared. If people feel trusted with the truth, they’ll often rise to it.

If your team’s spirit is strong but the numbers are lagging

This is a solvable problem – and a common one. It’s not about cracking down. It’s about connecting the dots. If you want help clarifying how the energy and economics can work together, I’d be glad to walk through it with you.

Your team isn’t disconnected. They might just be flying without a map.

Latest posts by Paul Boomer (see all)