The 5-minute 5Qs Formula to better leadership

As we approach the end of the year and begin planning for Q1 2025, it’s the perfect time to focus on boosting employee productivity, well-being, and engagement. According to the 2024 Global Talent Trends report by Mercer, a staggering 82% of professionals feel stressed, overwhelmed, and at risk of burnout. This is not just a personal challenge—it’s a critical business issue.

The cost of stress

When employees feel this way, productivity drops. Deadlines are missed, innovation stalls, and collaboration suffers. It becomes harder to make clear, confident decisions, and when leaders are overwhelmed, it’s even more challenging for them to drive team engagement and performance and hit KPIs. This loss of productivity costs organizations globally $8.8 trillion annually and, more importantly, it robs people of their daily joy.

Stress and pressure often lead to reactivity, impatience, and inefficiency. We stop being a joy to work for, creating a ripple effect that negatively impacts the entire organization. On the flip side, when leaders are a joy to work for and do business with, everything changes. Employees feel supported, motivated, and recognized. They are more inclined to give their best and help you succeed. Workflows become smoother, creativity is unlocked, and people genuinely enjoy working together.

Why being a joy to work for matters

Being a joy to work for means making people feel seen, heard, and appreciated, ensuring they know their contributions matter. This sense of recognition sparks an internal drive in individuals, motivating them to give more. At our core, we all have a fundamental need to feel significant and that we matter.

To lead with joy, we must first create the mental space to connect with ourselves, which then allows us to connect better with others. When we get this right, employee engagement, well-being, and productivity increase. This translates into stronger relationships, higher revenue, and better results.

The 5Qs Formula: A tool for clarity and joy

To help leaders and managers navigate the complexities of leadership—particularly in fostering engagement, productivity, and well-being—I developed the 5Qs Formula. This simple yet powerful tool is grounded in psychological science, with each question supported by psychological principles and research.

Question one helps you connect with your emotions. By acknowledging and labeling them, you are better able to regulate your emotions.

Question two focuses on practicing gratitude, which increases serotonin and dopamine levels.

Question three hacks your brain’s negativity bias to get you to think of solutions and possibilities using a growth mindset.

Question four gives you the tools to focus on high-impact tasks, through a modified version of the Eisenhower Matrix.

Question five empowers you to focus on your energy, behaviors, values, and strengths.

The 5Qs Formula is designed to create mental clarity at the start of your day, offering a science-backed approach to setting the right mindset for effective leadership.

The 5Qs Formula encourages you to reflect on five key questions that boost optimism, gratitude, clarity, emotional resilience, and motivation, helping you approach the day’s challenges with greater ease and more joy. It ensures you work in alignment with your values and strengths, ultimately fostering a work environment that brings joy to you and your team.

PRIME: Five minutes to better leadership

Leaders who incorporate the 5Qs Formula into their morning routine often report being better equipped to create a positive environment where employees feel supported and motivated. This is because they’ve prioritized their own well-being, mindset, and focus first. The result? A more productive workplace, stronger team connections, clearer communication, and more thoughtful, constructive interactions.

We all know time is limited, which is why the 5Qs Formula is both pragmatic and powerful. It takes just five minutes each morning to complete, giving you a natural boost of dopamine and serotonin—your brain’s feel-good chemicals—setting a positive tone for the day ahead.

An easy way to remember what the 5Qs Formula is about is through the acronym PRIME:

• Pinpoint your emotions. 

• Recognize gratitude. 

• Identify what’s working well and what could be improved. 

• Make a list of three high-impact tasks. 

• Envision how you want to show up. 

The first question prompts you to identify your emotions at the start of the day, whether they’re positive, like happiness, or more challenging, like anger or fear. Simply acknowledging your emotions—without analyzing, dwelling on, or fixating on them—helps you regulate them more effectively. After all, we can only change, appreciate, or accept what we’re aware of.

This initial question offers the chance to connect with your emotions early on, setting the stage for better emotional regulation throughout the day. Once you’ve done this, you can continue on to the remaining four questions from the 5Qs Formula, which will further enhance your focus, intention, and productivity for the day.

The best time to apply the 5Qs Formula is during a quiet moment in your morning, ideally before you reach for your phone. As it only takes five minutes to go through the 5Qs process, you can easily incorporate it into your routine while enjoying your morning coffee, using this time to reflect and set a helpful mindset for the day. Others may find it useful while getting ready for work, aligning their mindset with the day’s priorities. After a school drop-off or during your commute to work are also ideal times for this quick mental reset.

The key is to find a consistent, quiet window where you can engage fully, for just five minutes, with the 5Qs Formula to significantly impact your focus, clarity, productivity, and daily joy.

By following this simple routine, you start each day with renewed focus, emotional balance, and a sense of purpose, empowering you to lead with more joy and effectiveness.