A few weeks ago, I was sitting in a room with a group of CEOs and industry leaders, and we were having the kind of conversation that only happens when there is openness, trust, and a willingness to be real with each other.

We were talking about what it feels like to lead right now: the volatility, the pressure, and the constantly changing business environment. There was a shared understanding that required little explanation because everyone was living it in real time: things are not easy.

I had just come off dealing with a particularly frustrating work situation, and without overthinking how my words might land, I said, "Sometimes I just want people to do their fucking jobs."

The reaction was immediate…heads nodded, and a few people laughed in recognition, not because it was humorous, but because it was honest. Another followed with a similar sentiment, "I have thought that so many times. I just have not said it out loud."

The conversation stayed with all of us over the next 24 hours; we talked about it several times during our time together. But it wasn't because of the language; rather, it was what was underneath it. No one in the room agreed with what I said because we were frustrated. We all agreed because we were fatigued.

Leadership Is Weighty Right Now

I've been running StoneAge for almost 20 years, and it's never been more challenging. The pace of change is faster, the variables are less predictable, and the consequences of decisions feel more significant. Like me, most leaders are navigating economic whiplash, strategic pressure, and a constant stream of inputs that all demand attention. At the same time, we must create clarity, maintain culture, and support our people to keep everyone aligned and the business moving forward.

That tension does not turn off – ever. It accumulates over time, and it shows up in moments like the one with my peers. Not because we have stopped caring, but because we care deeply and want the organization to operate at the level required to meet the business's needs. Which, for me at that moment, was less churn and toxicity and more ownership and productivity.

Employees Are Carrying It Too

It would, however, be incomplete to look only at this from the leadership perspective. Employees are carrying their own version of uncertainty. They are navigating change, questioning stability, and trying to understand where the company, the economy, and, quite frankly, humanity is going. In many cases, they lack full visibility into what is happening or why decisions are made, and that gap creates its own stress.

And in this gap lies the tension I felt when I blurted out my fatigued plea:

Both perspectives are valid, worthwhile, and required in a healthy culture. But here's the thing: the breakdown does not happen because one side is right and the other is wrong. It happens because stress and uncertainty weaken the connection between leaders and those they lead, as both sides go into protect-and-defend mode.

When Culture Overcorrects

Over the past several years, we have made important progress in how we think about work. Many companies and leaders have moved away from rigid, command-and-control environments and toward more human-centered cultures. There is greater awareness around mental health, psychological safety, and the reality that people bring their lived experiences into the workplace. This shift was necessary and, in many ways, has strengthened organizations.

But there is a point where progress can overcorrect. When the desire to create safety turns into an avoidance of healthy debate, conflict, and accountability, we start to dilute the very things that create alignment. When leaders begin treating discomfort as inherently harmful, we don't hold people accountable in the name of preserving harmony. When our employees view discomfort as inherently harmful, they avoid taking ownership, resist feedback, and default to narratives rather than growth. The result is a culture where contribution declines, ownership fades, and people disengage from the very responsibility that gives them agency.

Discomfort is part of working with other people. It is part of growth, part of performance, and part of navigating complexity. Quite frankly, it's part of life, and we need it to fully experience our human existence. So, when we try to eliminate it, we do not create safety; we create ambiguity.

What Fills The Gap When Clarity Is Missing

When clarity fades, people do what people always do: fill the gap with stories.

We humans are particularly good at telling ourselves stories, especially in the absence of information. Often, these stories are incomplete, inaccurate, and usually negative. And when left unaddressed, these narratives can shape behavior. Energy shifts away from solving problems and toward discussing them, usually in the name of "venting." Attention moves from what needs to be done to how things feel. These moments are where workplace drama takes hold, not because people are trying to be difficult, but because they are seeking certainty in an environment that does not provide it.

From a leadership perspective, this is where fatigue deepens. We understand that people are struggling and recognize our responsibility to provide clarity and alignment. But we are fatigued because some of our employees have lost sight of their responsibility to contribute to the company culture and its success. And contribution is the foundation on which everything else depends.

Contribution Is The Agreement

At its core, work is an agreement. An individual brings effort, skill, and ownership, and in return receives compensation, opportunity, and the ability to grow. It is mutual value creation. In stable times, that agreement can remain implicit, and in uncertain times, it must become explicit.

Contribution is at the center of this agreement.

You might find it helpful to understand what I mean by contribution. I see contribution as the conscious choice to create value with what you have, where you are, regardless of circumstances. It is not just completing tasks or fulfilling a job description. It is how you think, how you show up, and how you engage with your work, your team, and the challenges before you. It means taking ownership of your role, bringing solutions instead of only problems, and staying grounded in what you can control rather than what you cannot.

And no matter what your role is within your company (i.e., executive, manager, or individual contributor), you have a responsibility to contribute. But here's the thing: it's easy to contribute when everything is smooth. It is far more telling when things are not.

What "Doing Your Job" Actually Means

When I said I want people to do their jobs, I was not talking about checking boxes or completing tasks in isolation. I was talking about staying grounded in contribution. About not getting pulled into gossip, speculation, and narratives that drain energy and create noise. About bringing solutions instead of only surfacing problems. About asking for clarity instead of assuming intent.

Doing your job well is not a small thing. In fact, I find that doing my job well is stabilizing. It is what allows teams to function, build trust, and continue progressing even when conditions are not ideal.

For leaders, doing your job means creating clarity, setting expectations, and addressing issues as they arise rather than allowing them to compound. It requires holding standards even when it is uncomfortable and recognizing that being effective is not the same as being liked. It also requires a willingness to look inward and ask where you have contributed to misalignment or confusion.

For employees, doing your job means understanding what success looks like in your role and taking responsibility for meeting it. It means recognizing when you are slipping into storytelling mode and choosing to return to contribution. It means separating what is happening around you from how you decide to respond.

Doing Your Job Well Is a Shared Standard

As I reflected on that conversation over the past few weeks, I found myself returning to something I have always known but needed to consciously re-anchor: I cannot expect ownership if I am not modeling it.

Ownership is my standard, and in moments of fatigue or frustration, it is the one I always return to. If there is misalignment, I must examine where I allowed it to occur. If there is any confusion, I must ask where I was unclear. If there is frustration, I must understand how my leadership contributed to it.

At the same time, I strongly believe that employees have a responsibility to meet that ownership with their own. To ask questions, to seek clarity, and to focus on what they can control rather than what they cannot. This is the partnership that defines a healthy culture.

What Grounds Us When Everything Feels Uncertain

A lot is going on right now that none of us can control. In business and in life, things will always shift and change. But one thing we can control is how we show up.

And in times like these, that mindset, the ownership mindset, is what grounds everything.

I believe that doing your job well is not a small or surface-level idea; it is the most direct expression of contribution. When you are grounded in your contribution – the value you bring to your company and to yourself – you feel it. There is clarity, self-respect, and a steadiness that comes from knowing you are showing up fully and giving your best. It pulls you out of distraction, out of narrative, and back into ownership.

And that is the point, whether you are a leader or an individual contributor: ownership. Owning your role, your attitude, your commitment, your communications, and your contribution.

Continue The Conversation

If this resonates, I explore this conversation more deeply on Reflect Forward, where I unpack what contribution really looks like in practice and how leaders and employees can reset expectations in a way that actually works. You can listen to the full episode on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform.

And if you are thinking about how to build a culture rooted in ownership and accountability, this is exactly the work behind my book, The Ownership Mindset, and the foundation on which I continue to build in my upcoming book, Talk with Trust. These topics are also the focus of my keynote work, where I help leaders and teams translate these ideas into real, operational change inside their organizations. Visit my website, www.kerrysiggins.com, to book a time to meet with me.