‘Agency’ is having a moment. Let’s make it a movement.

This week, I’m at our VP summit learning from brilliant consultants and colleagues — including Human-ology, a strategic insights firm sharing new data on agency, clarity, and speed in the workplace.

And it’s making me think about something I keep seeing: the skills that make you a great leader aren’t the ones they test you on to become one.

Nobody asks in your interview:
“How well do you listen when you’re stressed?”
“Can you give feedback that doesn’t crush people?”
“Do you know when to step back and let someone else own the outcome?”

But those are the skills that determine whether your team trusts you. Whether they stay. Whether they grow.

Trust is the entry point to agency… the moment people feel safe enough to step forward and own their work. And the Human-ology data shows that people today crave agency — control, ownership, and autonomy.

But agency isn’t something you grant. It’s something you grow. You create the conditions for it… through trust, communication, and clarity. And when you do, you unlock the kind of speed that actually drives results.

Not the frantic, chaotic kind. The kind where decisions happen quickly because people have clarity. Where execution moves fast because people have ownership. Where pivots don’t require five approvals because you’ve built real trust.

Speed without agency is just chaos.
Agency without clarity is just confusion.
And leadership without intention is how both start to slip.

So if you’re leading people right now — whether it’s 2 or 200 — ask yourself:
Are you giving your team the conditions they need to have agency?
Or are you accidentally creating the obstacles that slow you down?