What Shawn Achor Teaches Us About Leadership Drift

My grandfather taught me something early in life that I did not fully understand at the time. He said there are three types of things we experience. Things you have to do, things you want to do, and things you get to do.

As a teenager, it sounded simple. Almost too simple. But over time, it started to take shape in a more meaningful way.

Early in my career in human resources, I came across Amy Wrzesniewski’s work on how people mentally frame their jobs. Whether they see their work as a job, a career, or a calling has a direct impact on how they show up and perform. That was the moment things became clear for me. My grandfather’s words and her research came together in a way that made sense.

It helped me understand not just what I was doing, but why it mattered.

That shift moved the work from something I had to do, to something I wanted to do, and eventually to something I felt I get to do.

That is where leadership begins to take root.

Shawn Achor’s research builds on a similar idea. Our perspective does not just reflect our reality, it shapes it. The way we think about our work, our teams, and our responsibilities influences how we lead within them.

This is where leadership drift begins.

Not in major decisions, but in small, almost unnoticeable shifts in how we view the work. A leader who once felt connected to purpose begins to feel weighed down by responsibility. Work that once felt meaningful starts to feel transactional. The language changes. The energy changes. And over time, the leadership changes.

Drift is subtle, but it is powerful.

And it is often not caused by a lack of commitment, but by a loss of connection.

This is where values matter.

For me, service is what brings the work back into focus. Coaching, like my earlier work in HR, is something I get to do in service of others. That framing changes how I show up. It shifts the work from obligation to opportunity.

Temperance is what helps me stay grounded when the demands increase. It reminds me not to let the pressure of the moment redefine the meaning of the work.

Integrity ensures that my decisions, actions, and intentions remain aligned, even when the work becomes complex.

These are not abstract ideas. They are anchors.

If leadership drift happens through small shifts, then staying aligned requires intentional ones.

There are a few ways to begin that process.

First, pay attention to your language. Are you describing your work as something you have to do, or something you get to do? That shift alone can reveal where drift may be happening.

Second, reconnect to who the work serves. Service has a way of re-centering leadership quickly. When the focus moves from self to others, clarity often follows.

Third, create a moment to pause and recalibrate. Drift accelerates in constant motion. Even a short pause can help you regain perspective.

Fourth, realign your actions with your values. Not in a broad sense, but in specific decisions. How you respond, what you prioritize, and how you communicate.

Leadership does not drift because leaders stop caring.

It drifts because the pace and pressure slowly pull them away from the reason they started.

The good news is that what drifts can be realigned.

Sometimes not by doing more.

But by returning to what you already know matters.