This is an adapted transcript from the Love To Lead Podcast. Listen to the full episode Setting The Vision For 2026 With Your Team (Part 1) here.

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I want to say this gently—but clearly…

Most business owners don’t actually struggle with vision.
They struggle with buy-in.

And buy-in is not created by inspiration.
It’s created by belonging.

Right now, a lot of leaders feel frustrated. They’ve communicated the vision clearly. They’ve shared the goals. They’ve explained where the business is headed.

And yet—the team still feels disconnected.

That disconnect doesn’t mean your team is lazy.
It doesn’t mean they don’t care.
And it definitely doesn’t mean you’re a bad leader.

It usually means this: Your team can’t see where they fit in what you’re building

Energy vs. Peace: The Burnout Conversation Leaders Avoid

Here’s something I learned the hard way—and maybe you have too.

Energy can be intoxicating.

It feels like progress.
It feels like leadership.
It feels like movement.

But energy without peace doesn’t sustain people—it spends them.

Peace and energy are not opposites.
They’re meant to sit side by side.

Energy creates motion.Peace creates safety.

And when vision is all energy and no peace, what you end up with is short-term excitement followed by long-term exhaustion. This is how burnout quietly enters teams—not through chaos, but through constant pushing without grounding.

Why Most Vision Workshops Fail Before They Begin

Most vision workshops don’t fail because the ideas are bad. Or because the goals are unrealistic. They fail because the vision was prepared for the team instead of with the team.

Here’s the truth we don’t say out loud enough: You cannot ask people to carry a future they don’t feel connected to. If your team doesn’t feel seen in the present, they won’t believe in the future.

The Question Leaders Should Be Asking (But Rarely Do)

Before we talk about planning a vision workshop—and we will in Part Two—we need to pause and ask a better question.

Not:
“What do I want this business to look like in 2026?”

But:
“Do the people building this business feel like they belong in the future I’m imagining?”

This is where leadership shifts from management to stewardship.

The Three Questions That Create Buy-In Before Vision

I want to walk you through three questions.

These are not questions you ask during a vision workshop.
They are questions you ask before you ever plan one.

And hear this clearly: Asking these questions is already leadership. This is how buy-in begins.

Question One: Meaning

“What part of your work here feels the most meaningful to you?”

This question tells you everything. Because people don’t commit to goals. They commit to meaning.

When someone knows their work matters, they protect it. They care about it. They do it well. When leaders ignore meaning, they accidentally build futures that disconnect the very people they need most.

You don’t need your team to do more.
You need them to feel anchored.

Question Two: Energy Drain

“What drains your energy the fastest in your role right now?”

This question takes courage. Because the answers might point to things you didn’t realize were heavy. But this is how peace enters leadership. You cannot ask people to dream while they’re drowning.

If someone is exhausted, unheard, or overwhelmed, vision will feel like pressure—not possibility.

Peace doesn’t start in the future. It starts by removing unnecessary weight in the present.

Question Three: Being Seen

“Where do you feel underused or unseen?”

This question is leadership gold. Because excellence doesn’t come from control. It comes from trust.

Innovation doesn’t come from instructions. It comes from safety. People don’t disengage because they don’t care. They disengage because they don’t feel needed.

When someone feels unseen long enough, they stop offering their best.

What These Questions Actually Create

These three questions quietly tell your team:

I see you.
I care how this feels.
You matter here.

And when people feel that, loyalty follows.

Not because they’re forced.
But because they want to be part of what you’re building.

A Reflection for You, as the Leader

Before you plan the vision…
Before you cast the goals…
Before you ask for buy-in…

Ask yourself:

Have I made room to understand the people building this with me? Because vision isn’t about getting people to follow you. It’s about inviting them to belong.

Listen to the full episode Setting The Vision For 2026 With Your Team (Part 1) here.