By Allen Allen Director of Operations
Hilton Hotels

I used to think KPIs were numbers on a dashboard occupancy, scores, response time, problems solved.

But the longer I lead, the more I see the real KPI isn’t performance… it’s attention.

People don’t drift because they’re lazy. They drift because no one is holding their focus with care.

So maybe the new leadership math is simpler:

Keep people interested — because boredom is the first resignation letter no one submits.

Keep people informed — because confusion breeds stories, and stories become culture.

Keep people involved — because ownership is stronger than instruction.

Keep people inspired — because energy travels faster than policy.

Here’s the strange part I’ve learned…

Engagement isn’t about motivation.
It’s about meaning density.

When work feels dense with purpose, people lean in. When it feels thin, they check out even if they’re physically present.

That snowed-in weekend when flights were cancelled and the team worked across every department together nothing about the workload got easier. It got harder. But meaning got thicker. And suddenly fatigue didn’t feel like suffering it felt like contribution.

That changed how I see leadership.

Maybe we’re not here to push performance. Maybe we’re here to increase the weight of a moment.

A good leader doesn’t just manage outcomes. They make ordinary work feel consequential.

And in the middle of pressure, resistance to change, and expectations that never seem to slow down, the real KPI I’m tracking is quieter:

Did people feel their effort mattered today?

Because when that answer is yes, everything else tends to follow.

Turn up your gratitude, turn down your attitude.