Better leadership means higher discretionary effort. Why it matters
What motivates you to go the extra mile at work? Most of us have days when we dread the long commute or our growing to-do list. What keeps you pushing through? Chances are, it’s a supportive boss or a workplace that makes you feel appreciated, heard, respected and inspired.
When you feel truly valued, everything changes. You show up differently, take pride in your work, and care about the organization’s bigger purpose. If you don’t feel these things, you may not be as generous with your time. You might fail to see how your hard work pays off and only put in the minimum effort required..
Future discretionary effort will be crucial for businesses to thrive
Business leaders will always value workers who put in the extra effort, and they’ll also recognize that it’s the first thing to go when an employee is disgruntled or feels misunderstood. We need to contribute beyond our basic job requirements because if we’re engaged, committed, interested, and encouraged by others, we’ll usually give more of ourselves, contribute more, and get more in return.
There’s a huge business rationale for keeping workers engaged, especially when organizations are not doing well. Better engagement means better productivity. In the future, the organizations that invest in employee engagement can tap into discretionary effort and turn it into a competitive advantage. While it’s not the only consideration, it’s a valuable asset for future-proofing your business.
Leadership development is key to engendering discretionary effort
To give their best, employees need to feel inspired. They need leaders and managers who understand how to lead and manage them for high performance. As we’ve seen before, this ability seems to be lacking.
Numerous studies (see our blog on ‘The case for not delaying leadership training’) show that L&D budgets are increasingly squeezed. This can feed disengagement and detachment because it means that many leaders and managers aren’t getting the vital development they need. It also means that employees have fewer opportunities and may remain in positions where they don’t feel supported. They may lack motivation, not because they have a bad attitude, but simply because their managers haven’t been coached to support them.
If this trend continues, productivity will continue to fall, and performance will suffer across many industries. It’s crucial that organizations put leadership development plans in place without delay if they want to be successful in an ever-changing future.
Seven ‘levers’ for improving performance
In a 2025 study involving over 18,000 direct reports, Jack Zenger concluded there are seven levers for improving performance that leaders should employ if they want to transform workplace engagement:
Do younger generations need incentives to go the extra mile?
In some cases, yes, but this isn’t a generational issue. It’s more about differences in experiences, values, and communication styles.
In her 2022 book Gentelligence: The Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce, US professor Megan Gerhardt suggests that encouraging understanding and interactivity between generations at work can increase engagement.
She reminds us that Gen Z and Millennials value flexibility, inclusivity, work-life balance, and rapid feedback. They are digitally native and comfortable with change, but as many studies point out, they often struggle with face-to-face communication.
Gen X brings a pragmatic, independent approach and often serves as a bridge between older and younger colleagues. Traditionalists and baby boomers are typically loyal, experienced, and value personal connections and institutional knowledge.
As leaders, we need to work with these perfectly valid differences in values. Gerhardt’s research reminds us of the importance of appreciating the differences in our personalities, whatever their reason, and working with those differences, not against them. Leaders might also consider reverse mentoring and cross-generational collaboration in structured training sessions and more informal settings.
What should leaders avoid if they want to encourage discretionary effort in their teams?
It may sound like common sense, but if you want your employees to go the extra mile, don’t:
Disregard people’s different work and communication styles
Team dysfunction, conflict and constant disagreements can cause even our most placid colleagues to disengage. Be aware of your team’s preferred communication styles and adapt yours accordingly.
Forget the need to communicate regularly, transparently and authentically
Mystery has no place if you want people to engage with your vision. Being open and transparent will go a long way towards engendering trust and motivation in your workforce.
Set unrealistic targets
Even super-achievers are humans, not machines. Don’t impose deadlines without checking an employee’s workload first. Nothing will demotivate more than burdening an employee with unfeasibly tight deadlines
Micromanage
People need freedom to do things their way. Have faith that they will do a good job and only intervene if there’s a problem. Openly appreciate their efforts and be available to offer support along the way if asked. Don’t dwell on mistakes but instead use them as opportunities for development.
Fail to deliver on your promises
Trust is key to productive working relationships, so don’t go back on your word or fail to help colleagues feel psychologically safe enough to speak out or share ideas. Don’t feed a blame culture when things go wrong but take responsibility for your own actions.
Be future-ready by developing your leadership skills and engendering discretionary effort in your people
As we’ve seen, creating the conditions for discretionary effort amongst your workforce makes good business sense, especially now as the future becomes increasingly uncertain. People will always work harder for leaders they respect and who see their worth. When employees feel valued and experience great team dynamics, they don’t just meet expectations; they exceed them. It’s that simple!
