“The biggest assumption humans make is that everyone sees life the way we do.” — Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements
This one line may change the way you lead more than any management book ever will.
It reminds you that as a leader, you often assume your people know they matter, know they’re valued, and know their work has meaning. But they don’t. Not unless you tell them. Not unless you show them. And this is where many organizations unintentionally break trust. Because the greatest threat to your business is not a competitor, not disruption, and not technology. The greatest threat is the moment your people stop feeling valued.
Once that moment arrives, performance slows, creativity dims, and culture begins to quietly crack. It happens silently, long before a resignation letter or a survey exposes what’s been happening beneath the surface. If there is one truth worth anchoring your leadership to, it’s this: employee validation is not a soft gesture. It is the foundation of every result you hope to achieve.
Nothing in your business moves until people do, and people only move when they feel seen. For years, you may have believed that strategy, innovation, customer experience, or digital transformation were the primary engines of growth. They matter deeply, but they are powerless without the emotional commitment of the people behind them. A 2016 LinkedIn Purpose at Work Global Report noted that 79 percent of employees stay longer at purpose-driven organizations that value them. This tells you something profound: employees respond to the same emotional forces as your most loyal customers: belonging, recognition, meaning, and human connection.
In Customers First, we wrote that loyalty grows when people feel understood, appreciated, and acknowledged. Inside your organization, this truth is even more urgent. Your employees need to know that their work matters. When people feel invisible, they disengage. When they feel seen, they rise.
You want innovation, initiative, and resilience. Yet these qualities cannot be demanded; they must be inspired. Validation is the spark. Think about the talented individuals you’ve watched lose their energy not because the work was too hard, but because they felt unnoticed. Think about how quickly a team’s momentum evaporates when meaning disappears. And think about the transformations you’ve witnessed when someone took a moment to recognize the effort, courage, and heart behind another person’s work.
Validation isn’t flattery. It isn’t a passing “good job.” It’s specific, sincere recognition that connects someone’s effort to the impact it created. And the best part is that you can start doing this today.
The path forward is hopeful.
Begin with simple habits:
Pause once a day to thank someone for something specific; celebrate the small wins; invite people to share their thinking; ask what they’re proud of; and make space to notice the quiet contributions.
When validation becomes a daily rhythm, your team grows stronger, your culture becomes more human, and your people give their best because they feel their best.
Who is one person you can make feel seen today?