Most teams don’t need another massive transformation.
They need small, visible rituals that make work feel meaningful, doable, and worth showing up for.
That’s what PACE does—Purpose, Autonomy, Connection, Evidence-of-Progress—a simple wrapper that lets you raise engagement fast without blowing up your process. Think of it as a playbook you can run this week, not next quarter.
The Fastest Way In: A 2-Minute Engagement Pulse
Score each 1–5 for your team today:
- Psychological Safety: People feel safe to speak candidly in meetings.
- Clarity: Everyone is clear on this week’s outcomes.
- Agency: Teammates have meaningful control over how they deliver.
- Momentum: Progress is visible and celebrated weekly.
- Sustainability: Workload feels balanced (not chronic overload).
Pick the two lowest items—those are your first levers.
Find the Bottleneck (PACE Diagnostic)
Look for the pattern you see most often:
If Purpose is weak, you’ll notice:
• “Why are we doing this?” pops up a lot.
• Tasks feel disconnected from bigger goals.
• People finish work but show little initiative.
If Autonomy is weak, you’ll notice:
• Routine approvals slow everything down.
• “Waiting to be told what’s next.”
• Decision-making is centralized; micromanagement complaints.
If Connection is weak, you’ll notice:
• Silence in meetings; 1–2 voices dominate.
• Mistakes are hidden; tough topics avoided.
• 1:1s get canceled or deprioritized.
If Evidence-of-Progress is weak, you’ll notice:
• Weeks go by without visible wins.
• Morale rides on big milestones only.
• “Are we even moving?” energy dips.
Pick one bottleneck to fix first. Focus beats overhaul.
Install One Ritual This Week (Choose by Bottleneck)
1) PURPOSE → Line-of-Sight Ladder + “Impact Moments”
Line-of-Sight Ladder: Connect four layers in one quick visual your team can see daily:
Company Priority → Team Goal → Individual Outcomes → Customer/User Impact.
Use it to assign work (“this task ladders up to…”) and review quarterly.
“Impact Moments” (60-second opener for key meetings):
“Last week, [person/customer] benefited when we [did X], resulting in [impact Y].
This week, our work on [task] pushes that further by [Z].”
Rotate ownership and log stories in a shared doc/Slack channel.
2) AUTONOMY → Guardrails > Gates
Replace permission gates with clear criteria. Create a one-pager per common workstream:
- Success criteria (what “good” looks like)
- Non-negotiables (quality/compliance/brand)
- Decisions I can make without approval
- Risks & dependencies to flag early
Then use this handoff script:
“Here’s the outcome and deadline. Inside these guardrails, you choose the approach.
I’m available for consult, not approval. Let’s do a midpoint check on [date].”
3) CONNECTION → FLOW 1:1s (20–30 min weekly)
Make 1:1s the safest, most useful 30 minutes of the week using FLOW:
- F – Feelings: “How’s your energy today? What’s driving that?”
- L – Load: “What’s on your plate? Any hidden work?”
- O – Obstacles: “What’s blocking progress? How can I help?”
- W – Wins: “What are you proud of since last time?”
Take brief notes, spot patterns, and follow up. Consistency builds trust.
4) EVIDENCE-OF-PROGRESS → Win Board
Track movement, not just outcomes in a visible place (Trello/Notion/Google Doc or a wall).
Columns: Date | Shipped/Step Taken | Why it Mattered (Impact) | Owner
Seed with 3–5 recent wins, then spend 5–10 minutes weekly adding new ones. Review monthly to spot bottlenecks and momentum.
Your 72-Hour Plan (Momentum Beats Mastery)
Commit to one ritual. Announce it. Ship the first rep in the next 72 hours:
- First visible step (within 24h):
“Team—this week we’re starting [ritual] to make our progress/safety/clarity more visible.
It’ll take ~15 minutes and help us move faster with less friction.
First run: [date/time]. See you there.” - Recurring slot: lock it on the calendar.
- Likely blocker + pre-solve: name it now.
Keep the ritual under 15 minutes. Refine as you go; don’t wait for perfect.
Keep It Simple (and Weekly)
Start small. Stay consistent. Expect meaningful change within ~30 days of steady practice.
PACE works because it maps to fundamental human needs—meaning, control, belonging, and visible progress—and it tucks neatly into the way you already work.
Want the worksheet?
If you’d like the PACE Manager Worksheet I use with clients (templates, scripts, and checklists included)
