The Power of Pause: 7 Signs Your Team Is Due for a Reset

The world of work has changed. In today’s fast-moving world of hybrid work, constant change, and unrelenting deadlines, it’s easy for teams to get caught up in doing without pausing to reflect, reset, or reconnect. But I believe high-performing teams don’t just work harder, they work smarter by recognising when something’s off and taking time to realign.

Pausing to reset and refocus isn’t a luxury, to sustain growth and performance it’s non-negotiable.

A bit like a device running too many apps at once, even the most talented teams will slow down or malfunction if they don’t take time to recharge and recalibrate. 

When teams don’t stop to reset, performance erodes, tension builds, and people start simply “get through the day” rather than making an impact. I’m seeing many teams on the brink of burnout and misalignment to roles and values. All it takes is a proactive approach and giving your team the permission to pause, now, not when its too late.

So how do you know when it’s time to hit pause and guide your team through a reboot?

Here are 7 powerful signs that your team might need a reset: 

1. Motivation Has Dropped Off
   When the team vibe feels flat and energy is low, there’s usually a deeper issue at play. You may notice language like “What’s the point?” or “Just trying to make it to Friday.” Low motivation is often a symptom of unclear purpose, lack of recognition, or disconnect from meaningful work.
2. The Team Feels Disconnected
   If collaboration feels forced, meetings are transactional, and people are working more in silos than in synergy, disconnection is present. Connection isn’t a “nice to have”, it’s the fuel for trust, communication, and healthy team dynamics.
3. There’s a Lack of Shared Goals
   When everyone’s focused on individual tasks or KPIs, it’s easy to lose the forest for the trees. A team without a unifying purpose starts to drift. Shared goals create alignment, momentum, and a sense of collective achievement as do shared team values.
4. Creativity and Innovation Are Missing
   If your team is recycling old ideas or avoiding risk, innovation has taken a back seat. Creativity thrives in environments with psychological safety, time to think, and space to experiment. A lack of this signals a stagnant or risk-averse team culture. When teams get creative together, I have seen firsthand that collaboration is the by-product of this.
5. Miscommunication or Confusion is present
   If team members are unclear on their roles, priorities, or expectations, it breeds inefficiency and frustration. When people feel they’re out of the loop or don’t know what’s going on, clarity needs to be restored and this needs to be done fast. Many people withdraw from others and effective communication decreases resulting in disconnection
6. The Focus is on Activity, Not Impact
   Being busy isn’t the same as being productive. If your team is constantly “doing,” but outcomes are unclear or inconsistent, it’s a sign they’re stuck in motion, not progress. Purposeful work beats busyness every time. Check your team isn’t just on autopilot and ticking things off. Quality over quantity wins every time.
7. Burnout is Rising
   You may hear things like “I’m exhausted” or notice people pulling back, calling in sick more often, or just mentally checking out. Burnout is more than tiredness, it’s a loss of connection to the work, the team, and themselves. Most of the time burnout is a person’s misalignment to their role or purpose.

Review the 7 signs above and reflect on where you team is at.

When teams don’t take the time to pause, they drift. They lose momentum, clarity, and connection. A reset is an opportunity to realign, reconnect, and reignite energy and purpose. It gives space for honest reflection, shared ownership, and a renewed sense of direction.

This doesn’t mean starting over, it means asking the right questions and creating space for realignment, so your team can thrive, not just survive.

The best leaders don’t wait for a crisis to make a change. They know when to pause the doing to focus on being and become realigned, refreshed, and ready to lead forward. If even a few of these signs are showing up, it might be time to step back so your team can leap forward.

Ready to Reset?

Written by Renée Giarrusso.
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