By Max Rhythm, thriViae’s Operating Rhythm and Embedment Specialist
It starts innocently enough. A new strategic initiative. A request from the board, or the newest member of the C-Suite or Leadership Team. An urgent pivot due to market shifts. Another email with “high priority” in the subject line.
Before you know it, your neatly planned week, month or quarter is rubble. Back-to-back meetings, operating model and strategic reviews, and another fire to put out. At some point, you forget what your actual job was meant to be.
But here’s the thing nobody says out loud: this chaos feels productive.
We equate urgency with importance. Movement with progress. But all the while, the signal gets drowned out by the noise.
And leadership keeps asking, “Why aren’t we hitting our goals?”
Let me tell you why: because if everything is a priority, nothing is strategic.
Why We Tolerate the Chaos
Because the chaos feels like momentum. Because saying “no” feels political. Because visibility becomes a proxy for value.
And because, for many mid-to senior leaders, survival mode is a badge of honour. We’re stretched thin. We’re afraid to push back. We’re scared to pause, even briefly, to ask, “What are we actually trying to do here?”
In fact, according to Gallup, only 50% of employees strongly agree they know what’s expected of them at work. That lack of clarity creates stress, disengagement, and a cycle of performative busyness.
Meanwhile, manager engagement dropped to 27% globally last year, leading to an estimated $438 billion in lost productivity, says the Gallup 2025 Global Workplace Report.
We’re not lazy. We’re overloaded. We’re not disengaged. We’re disoriented.
What If We Took A New Perspective?
I’m not saying slow down. I’m saying zoom out.
What if, instead of being in reaction mode all the time, we had systems in place to:
Understand which priorities are noise and which are core.
Make time for strategic thinking, not just tactical firefighting.
Support leaders with a consistent clear strategy and workplace focus.
According to Effectory, employees with clearly defined roles are 53% more efficient and 27% more effective. Work performance rises 25% when role clarity is embedded into day-to-day operations.
And yet, most of us are simply peddling hard to keep up with the latest ask.
We need less ‘busyness’ and more intentional action.
Imagine if the default wasn’t “Do it all.” Imagine if the default was “Do what matters most.”
“Feeling the pressure of competing priorities? Discover how thriViae’s Workplace Health Check helps teams cut through the noise and refocus on what matters most.”
