Leadership disengagement. It’s the quiet crisis many of us coach into every day. Gallup’s latest research shows that close to eighty percent of employees in Sub‑Saharan Africa are disengaged at work. But here’s the real insight: the greatest predictor of a team’s engagement is the engagement level of its leader.
A disengaged leader doesn’t just underperform personally (which is bad enough for the organisation), they unintentionally create a ripple that drains energy, morale and productivity across their team. When we coach leaders, we’re not only coaching individuals; we’re coaching entire engagement ecosystems.
So, the question is: Are we coaching leaders for lasting engagement, or are we only creating insight that disappears under pressure?
Why Strengths‑Based Coaching Matters
In over twenty‑five years of working with leaders, I’ve seen one truth hold steady: when leaders understand and intentionally use their authentic strengths (the things that energise and drive them), they perform better and stay more engaged.
When engaged, they experience vigour, a sense of energy that fuels effort; dedication, a feeling of meaning and purpose; and absorption, being fully present and immersed in what they’re doing. However, there’s a recurring challenge; leaders leave our coaching sessions inspired and clear about their strengths, but a few weeks later, pressure sets in. They slip back into habits that drain their energy and their engagement drops.
This isn’t about time management. It’s the knowing‑doing gap: the space between understanding one’s strengths and actually leading from them under pressure.
The Compass Framework for Sustainable Engagement
Through my doctoral research, I am developing a Strengths based Leadership Coaching Framework, a simple, practical guide for sustaining leadership engagement through strengths‑based coaching. It helps leaders navigate real‑world pressure while staying grounded in their authentic drives.
I use a compass as the visualisation for this framework because just like a compass, it helps you navigate terrain and stay oriented when conditions shift, this model helps coaches to build leaders to stay grounded in what truly drives them, even under pressure.
The Compass integrates:
- South — Strengths (energy)
- West — Will (action)
- Foundation/Centre — Values (meaning)
- East — Engagement (outcome)
- North — Needs and Purpose (impact)
These five elements work together as one cohesive, practical framework. It helps leaders navigate complexity, sustain their engagement, and lead from a place of authenticity — no matter the pressure.
This is where many leaders struggle. They know their strengths and drives but don’t consistently apply them. I use the GROW model (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward) to create real‑world alignment:
- Goal: Where will you use this strength or drive this week?
- Reality: When does pressure cause you to abandon it?
- Options: What two or three small actions can help embed it?
- Way Forward: What’s your cue, your guardrail, and your ally?
Willpower fades under stress, transcending this needs small, deliberate habits to sustain engagement.
Engagement: The Outcome and the Measure
Engagement , the blend of vigour, dedication and absorption, is both the result and the indicator of effective strengths‑based leadership. By noticing where they feel energised versus drained, leaders gather the feedback they need to recalibrate and continually realign to their strengths.
Five Practices That Sustain Leadership Engagement
From years of research and coaching practice, I’ve found five mechanisms that separate leaders who maintain engagement from those who lose it under pressure.
- Identity Language
Shift from “My top strength is Empathy” to “I’m a leader who leads with empathy.” When strengths become part of a leader’s identity, not just data from an assessment, they persist through pressure. - Micro‑Rituals
Small, context‑specific actions are more effective than big plans. A two‑minute pre‑meeting intention such as “I’ll use my Strategic strength to create clarity” is far more sustainable than a monthly reflection session. - Strengths Allies
Having one trusted peer ask weekly, “Where did you use your strengths this week?” significantly increases follow‑through. Engagement is social, not solo. - Barriers
Every strength has a potential shadow. Caretaker can become burnout; Planner can slip into over‑analysis; Nurturer can lead to overwhelm. Barrier questions protect energy: “Am I using this strength to elevate myself and others — or am I overusing it?” - System Cues
Remind leaders of their drives and strengths through subtle systems that they can build into their schedules, prompts in meeting agendas, team rituals, one‑on‑one templates. Systems create sustainability when memory and motivation fail.
Closing the Knowing‑Doing Gap
We don’t lack information about strengths; we lack integration. Most leaders know what energises them — they just abandon it when demands rise. Our role as coaches is to coach (or mentor) for sustainability, helping leaders translate insight into every day, strengths‑aligned action.
Coaching for strengths awareness creates understanding. Coaching for strengths‑based engagement creates transformation.
The Ripple Effect
When leaders stay engaged and aligned with their strengths, their team feels it:
- Meetings become clearer.
- Decision‑making strengthens.
- Morale rises.
- One leader’s energy becomes the catalyst for an engaged, resilient team.
In a region where disengagement remains at crisis levels, this ripple effect matters deeply. Each engaged leader contributes to rebuilding healthy, productive, human‑centred organisations.
A Call to Coaches and Leaders
To my fellow coaches: let’s move beyond awareness to sustained application. Let’s coach for micro‑rituals and check‑ins that help leaders live their strengths daily.
To leaders: protect your energy. Know your genuine drivers and identify your drainers. Anchor yourself in your values, and lead from your strengths intentionally, especially when things get tough.
Because when you do, you’re not just managing, you’re leading with vigour, dedication, and purpose. You’re creating engagement that ripples and endures.
Gizelle McIntyre is a South African leadership development specialist and strengths‑based coach. Her research explores how leaders can sustain engagement under pressure, bridging the knowing‑doing gap to create authentic, energised, and resilient leadership across organisations.
