Do You Provide the Tools Your Employees Need to be Rockstars?

Cathie Leimbach • November 18, 2020

As a leader, you want employees to be productive at work. You want efficient production and quality results. And, chances are, your employees want the same thing.

To be rockstars, each employee has to be provided the tools they need to be incredibly productive, and less frustrated. Sometimes, the simplest thing can make a huge difference. 

When looking at what isn’t working, think about this. There are rarely bad people. There are often, okay, almost all of the time, bad processes. Your team members’ daily output may be limited by realities such as these.

·        The summer intern was responsible for a weekly accuracy cross-check of a 200-page warehouse inventory that was printed on unlined paper. But there weren’t any rulers available to help him focus on one line at a time. It was a month before a new ruler was purchased for him.

·        The admin assistant was frequently asked to format training and promotional documents attractively. The only software available to her was a free online word processor. 

·        Staff who worked remotely for months during the pandemic were instructed to join the weekly team ZOOM meeting from their work computers. But only a couple of them had webcams. They quickly felt isolated. Their energy and productivity dwindled.

Highly effective managers ensure their team members have the materials and equipment necessary to achieve production goals.

It is actually a simple fix. Just ask if they have the supplies and equipment they need. Make sure that your staff members are comfortable letting you or IT know when ink cartridges need to be ordered or their computer is blue screening? Quickly respond to their needs so that they are empowered to be as productive and engaged as possible rather than learning to make do as long as possible despite increased frustration and decreased productivity.

Want simple tools to ask those questions and more? Get in touch with me for a free assessment of what your employees are really thinking. 

By Cathie Leimbach September 30, 2025
Based on insights from James Hewitt's "Regenerative Performance" Something's not adding up in today's workplace. While companies demand more from their teams, the results tell a concerning story. Research shows that 50% of employees now show clear signs of burnout, and an alarming 73% feel disconnected from their work. James Hewitt, performance expert and author of "Regenerative Performance," points to a critical mismatch. We're asking people to perform at peak levels without giving them what they need to recover and recharge. Think of it like a smartphone. You can't expect your phone to run at full power all day without plugging it in. Yet that's exactly what we're doing to our workforce. We pile on meetings, deadlines, and pressure while cutting back on the very things that restore energy: breaks, development time, and meaningful connection. The solution isn't working less—it's working smarter. Hewitt's research reveals that sustainable high performance comes from balancing intense effort with intentional recovery. Teams that build in time to recharge actually outperform those that push through exhaustion. Smart leaders are already making the shift. They're protecting their people's energy as carefully as they manage their budgets. Because burned-out employees don't just hurt themselves—they hurt the bottom line too. Want to dive deeper into this issue? View The Burnout Crisis to understand the full scope of this workplace challenge. "Sustainable high performance comes from the rhythm of oscillation—not from the intensity of effort alone." —James Hewitt
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