This week Jenni Field and Chuck Gose are talking about long-term thinking in a short-term world, what the resignation of the UK Prime Minister reveals about leadership communication, new data from Gallup on the state of global employee engagement, and the ongoing confusion between remote and hybrid work.

Jenni opens by reflecting on the resignation of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with coverage noting that critics felt he lacked the communication skills to connect with the public — described as coming across as stiff and wooden in an era where authenticity and emotion dominate. Jenni and Chuck explore what this reveals about the expectations placed on leaders, drawing a parallel to the CEO experience and asking whether the patience to let leaders develop their communication over time has simply disappeared.

Gallup's State of the Global Workforce 2026 report lands with a striking headline: global employee engagement has dropped to 20%, its lowest level since 2020, with an estimated $10 trillion cost to the global economy in lost productivity. But the finding Jenni and Chuck dig into most is the shift in manager engagement — once consistently higher than that of the people they lead, it has now fallen to near parity.

A New York Times Instagram post claiming remote work explains a third of the deterioration in American mental health over the past 15 years prompted a pointed response from organisational psychologist Adam Grant, who argued that hybrid work is in fact healthier than full office attendance. Jenni and Chuck agree with both — and that's the problem. Remote and hybrid are not the same thing, and treating them as interchangeable muddies conversations happening inside organisations right now.

Jenni brings a book to the table this week: The Long Game by Dorie Clark, which she finished after hearing them speak at a Chris Ducker leadership event. The book centres on long-term thinking in a short-term world — and Jenni draws a direct line between its ideas and the pressures she sees on communications, HR, and leadership teams who are reacting to the next three to six months rather than building toward a clear destination. Three quotes from the book shape the conversation, including the idea that enduring discomfort and humiliation may be necessary for the most powerful long-term rewards — which Chuck reflects on through the lens of building Frequency from zero.

CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro + good news: Meta stops tracking employees 05:05 UK PM resigns — can leadership communication be taught? 09:05 Gallup 2026: engagement at a 5-year low (and the manager problem) 16:14 Remote vs hybrid: why we keep confusing them 22:33 The Long Game: long-term thinking, by Dorie Clark

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Want to find out more about Chuck’s work and ICology - check out the website and how to become a member here: https://www.joinicology.com/

Jenni’s a regular speaker and consultant on leadership credibility and internal communication, you can find out more about how to learn from her and work with her here: https://thejennifield.com/

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Articles mentioned in this episode:

UK prime minister has resigned

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwygj95xrp9o

Global employee engagement has fallen to its lowest level since 2020

https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx

We ran the numbers and remote work is bad for us

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZzbfz0Egtw/?igsh=MW95ZWhqbXV1ZXA3MA%3D%3D

The Long Game by Dorie Clark

https://dorieclark.com/longgame/