Leading the Disgruntled: How to Cultivate Renewal in Your Senior Team
Five years after a global pandemic disrupted how we work, many organizations are still wrestling with the aftermath: strained culture, frayed relationships, and burnout layered over years of uncertainty. And while we often expect these struggles to surface in entry- or mid-level staff, what’s becoming increasingly clear is this: the most complicated form of disengagement lives at the top. It lives with our Disgruntled leaders.
In our Greenthumb Leadership framework, Stage 3 is called Disgruntled. These are your seasoned professionals. They’re knowledgeable. They’ve been in the system long enough to know how it works—and sometimes, how to work around it. But they’re tired. Jaded. Resistant. These are the overgrown plants in your garden. Once full of potential, they’ve picked up weeds, disease and bugs along the way: resentment, cynicism, and detachment.
In Blanchard’s Situational Leadership model, this aligns with D3: high competence, variable commitment. They can do the work. But they’re no longer sure they want to.
The real problem with Disgruntled C-suiters? They often hold the most power, most influence and most control. And, in that respect, they can be the most dangerous.
These leaders may be in executive roles, steering major decisions or managing whole departments. But disengagement at this level is different. It’s subtler, quieter, and more corrosive over time. It shows up as:
Closed-door conversations.
Cranky tones (including nonverbals, sarcasm, and passive aggressiveness) in strategic meetings.
Siloed communication across departments.
Ego-fueled interruptions to collaboration.
It’s not always immediately obvious because they still get results. But the relational and cultural damage adds up. One layer of disconnection turns into two. Morale dips. Middle managers notice. The system strains.
Here are some indicators your leadership team may be drifting into Stage 3:
Disengaged dialogue: Strategy meetings are packed, but meaningful discussion is sparse.
Fractured communication: Cross-functional teams are no longer connecting; Horizontal functions only speak with their counterparts (e.g. C-suite to C-Suite, Directors to Directors). People may stay in their silos or verticals (e.g. we over in financing believe… Our Quality Assurance team needs…).
Weakened trust: Leaders are operating side-by-side, but not shoulder-to-shoulder (arms linked).
Lack of joy and cohesion: No one’s firing up the grill together because they’re barely talking outside meetings. Passion is in short reserve. Hope is performative.
Leading Through the Disgruntled
Effective leadership is Greenthumb Leadership. It’s not about ripping out the weeds. It’s about pruning with intention, listening for signs of drought, and coaxing reluctant roots back to life. Here’s how to lead Stage 3 leaders with both care and clarity:
1. Create Connection Beyond Content
Senior leaders are often brilliant tacticians—but that doesn’t mean they’re functioning as executives (often referred to as “executive functioning”). Schedule intentional, post-meeting check-ins - not to rehash programming, but to talk process, humanity, and holistic leadership (big picture, strategic, legacy).
“We’re not here to revisit deliverables. I want to talk about how we’re showing up—what’s working, what feels stuck, who was quiet or distracted, and how we might lead better together.”
It’s about pulling them out of the weeds of what and reconnecting them to why.
2. Name the Pattern Without Shame
Language is powerful. A well-timed naming of the Disgruntled pattern - without judgment - can shift awareness and create ownership.
“We have incredible talent on this team. But I’m sensing a rise in Stage 3 Disgruntled behavior: smart, seasoned people who are also tired, skeptical, and frustrated. That’s not blame, that’s an invitation to reflect. What’s going on?”
When leaders can name their stage, they’re more likely to work through it.
3. Elevate the Conversation
Disgruntled leaders can spiral into transactional leadership checking boxes, maintaining systems, playing it safe. But great leadership is transformational. Help them re-engage by:
Creating space for vision work
Opening room for relational healing (some Deep Ocean Model of Belief & Behavior Conversations)
Tapping into purpose, not just performance
The goal isn’t more output. It’s renewed energy.
4. Support the Climb to Maturity
Stage 4 (Maturity) leaders are not just competent - they’re committed. They coach others. They bear organizational fruit. But they don’t get there by accident. They get there by:
Feeling seen
Being challenged
Experiencing personal growth
And, importantly, by being led with hope and accountability.
We often say, “You’re either growing or you’re dying.” But growth, especially at the senior level, requires more than a new title or project. It requires re-rooting: in values, in relationships, in purpose.
As leaders, we must stay vigilant to the signs of Disgruntled leaders. Not to point fingers, but to extend a hand.
Because behind every Disgruntled leader is often a disillusioned and disenfranchised human being, waiting to believe again in the work, the mission, and the people around them.
And, like any good gardener knows, with the right environment, even the most overgrown vines can bear fruit again.
