Why Should Companies Invest in the Inner Work?

Success is something that everyone wants, but it is not just about being smart or talented. Anyone has the potential to be successful, but only if they take the time to change themselves and gain the right inner skills that help them align their daily actions with their core values and goals. 

For example, what if someone was given an assignment they have never done before? If the person has a lot of self-doubt and gives up easily, they might not accept the opportunity or abandon it halfway through. Someone who has self-efficacy, grit, and a growth mindset, however, would consider the assignment a great opportunity to learn and build their experience. They would struggle through the setbacks and problems they encounter while adjusting their thinking and approach to find the best solution since they have the self-efficacy to believe in their own abilities as well as adaptability to be flexible when situations suddenly change. These are the inner skills that people need to better their chance of gaining success in areas like competitions and employment. 

When companies do not support the development of their employees’ inner skills, the costs could be serious. Poor leadership is already costing the country more than $500 billion yearly in lost productivity. High turnover is also causing U.S. businesses to lose $1 trillion per year from employees voluntarily leaving their jobs. Almost 50% of employees who have left their job in 2025 have said “Loved my job, but can’t stand my manager” while 90% have said “Boss influenced my decision to leave.” Although, 45% of employees “stayed because of a ‘good’ relationship with manager.” 

So far, less than 20% of companies around the nation strongly think their leaders are capable of developing others. It does not help that 58% of managers admitted to not receiving formal leadership training. But companies that do require leadership training have seen 69% more successful collaboration, 60% more employee engagement, and 59% greater emotional awareness. 

Leaders who practice inner work on a regular basis are able to retain employees and reduce turnover rates. Using the inner work to keep teams engaged has generally led to 21% less turnover in high turnover industries and 51% less turnover in low turnover industries. Work absences have dropped 78% across industries as well. 

Leaders who have high emotional intelligence skills do better at bringing better business results, improving team performance, and boosting team members’ attitudes about work. In return, employees who feel more engaged at work due to better leadership are morley to feel a 70% increase in wellbeing, 63% decrease in work accidents, and 18% increase in work productivity. For the business as a whole, smarter decision-making has a strong correlation with positive financial results. Having decisive leadership allows companies to have a four times greater chance of staying healthy for years while delivering three times more shareholder returns compared to companies that are perceived as less healthy. 

Building the proper inner skills means these competencies can be used to create resilient businesses. The three-year period between 2019 and 2022 saw 76% of B Corps experiencing revenue growth versus 60% of non-B Corps experiencing revenue growth. With a clear purpose and strong values, mission-driven companies can reach the profit margins they need to succeed.

Source: Sounds True