Paolo, you often passionately say that employers need to stop getting frustrated with employees who don’t seem to grasp the importance of certain things in the same way the employer does. Could you explain what you mean by this?

That’s something I get fired up about quite a bit! Here’s the thing: employers often get frustrated, even angry, when employees don’t seem to grasp the gravity or importance of something that, to the employer, is absolutely crucial. Whether it’s meeting a deadline, hitting sales targets, or executing a strategic initiative, there’s often this huge emotional investment from the employer’s side, and when employees don’t match that level of passion or urgency, it creates tension.

But what I’m saying is that employers need to understand a fundamental truth: the way something feels important to you, as the person who built the business or who is deeply invested in its outcomes, is not going to resonate the same way with someone who doesn’t have that same emotional stake. And you can’t just expect it to. An employee’s job is to do their work well, but they’re not going to automatically care about the business with the same depth or urgency as the owner or senior leadership unless there’s a reason beyond a paycheck to make them care.

Think about it: as an employer, your company is your life’s work, your legacy, your dream. It’s natural for you to feel every setback and every opportunity on a visceral level. But employees? They have their own dreams, goals, and priorities. They come to work to do a job, to earn a living, to maybe grow their skills—but they’re not necessarily going to have that burning sense of mission unless you’ve given them a reason to.

This is where employers need to shift their approach. Instead of getting upset or resentful, they should be asking, “How can I make this important to them, too? How can I communicate the purpose, the mission, the ‘why’ behind what we’re doing in a way that connects with them personally?” If you want people to be as invested as you are, you need to take the time to align their work with a greater sense of meaning or purpose. And sometimes, it’s about finding ways to make the business goals intersect with the employee’s personal or professional aspirations.

It’s about storytelling and connection. If you’re launching a new product and you need everyone to give 110%, you can’t just say, “This is important, get it done.” You need to explain why it matters, not just for the bottom line, but for the impact it could have on people’s lives. You need to make employees feel that they’re part of something bigger, that their work has real, tangible effects. Maybe that’s about explaining how their efforts are making a difference for the customers or how this project could lead to growth opportunities for them personally.

It’s also about acknowledging that people are motivated by different things. Some employees might be inspired by the mission of the company; others might be driven by opportunities for advancement or personal growth. If an employee doesn’t seem to care about something as much as you do, it’s your job as a leader to figure out what does light them up and how you can connect that to the work at hand.

And let’s be honest: sometimes the things employers care deeply about just don’t translate into the same level of importance for the average employee. That’s okay. It’s not a flaw in your employees; it’s a reality of human nature. Your role as a leader is to bridge that gap, not by expecting everyone to suddenly share your vision through force of will, but by cultivating a culture where people can find meaning in their work, where they feel seen, respected, and genuinely involved in the mission.

So, instead of getting upset, use that energy to engage, connect, and inspire. People are capable of incredible things when they feel their work is meaningful, but that meaning has to be built and communicated. It’s a shared journey, not an automatic switch that everyone should just flip on. And that’s where real leadership comes in: not demanding loyalty or passion but earning it by making people feel that their work matters, both to the company and to themselves.