For twenty years I was a retained executive recruiter. My whole job was calling people who were, by every external measure, wildly successful — and convincing them to blow up their lives for a new role. It should have been hard. It wasn't. They were successful. They just weren't happy. So they called me back.

I became fascinated about how people could achieve great success but still not feel fulfilled, engaged, and inspired. So I decided to learn why this was, and how each of us can excite our teams to bring everything they are to everything they do.

It turns out that the very thing that made me good as a recruiter made me terrible as a leader. As a recruiter, I'd listen for the scorecard everyone uses — inspiration, mission, challenge, impact, skills, prestige, location, money. Eight factors that capture the value of a job. They say nothing about the value of a job to a particular person — and that, the data shows, is the only thing that actually moves anyone.

Meanwhile, global engagement sits at just 23% — barely one in five — and disengagement drains an estimated $8.8 trillion a year, nearly 9% of global GDP. We assume people stay for advancement and money. Only 37% rank pay as the most important factor in their happiness at work. The thing that actually keeps them is meaning, relevance, and the sense that someone sees them.